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PRINCETON,  N.  J. 


** 


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Presented    by  Dr.  F!  L.Pa-t-ton  • 

13SI2.35" 


Division 


Section 


.M^tl? 


WiAR  12  1914- 


CRITICAL  AND   EXEGETICAL 

COMMENTARY 

ON 

THE  BOOK  OF  GENESIS. 

■U'lTH 

A    NEW    TRAIS^SLATION^. 


11  ^X' 


/  BY 

J.  G.  MURPHY,  D.D.,  T.C.D., 

PROFESSOR  OF  HEBREW,  BELFAST. 


WITH  A  PREFACE 

By  J.   P.    THOMPSON,   D.  D., 

KEW  YORK  CITY. 


"-"W 


BOSTON: 
DRAPEB    AND     HALLIDAY. 

PHILADELPHIA:   SMITH,  ENGLISH,  AND  CO. 

CINCINNATI :   GEO.  S.  BLANCHARD  AND  CO. 

1867. 


Entered  according;  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  tlie  year  1866,  by 

WARREN    F.   DRAPER, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  District  of  Massachusetts. 


A^•DOVEn : 
6TEr.EOTYri:i)  and  printed 

BY   W.   F.   DRAPEK. 


PREFACE 

TO  THE   AMERICAN   EDITION. 


In  introducing  to  the  American  public  Dr.  Murphy's  Com- 
mentary on  Genesis,  I  would  commend  it  as  a  timely  antidote 
to  much  of  the  negative  and  destructive  criticism  upon  the 
Pentateuch  which  has  so  largely  obtained  in  Germany,  and  of 
late  in  England  also,  rather  than  as  a  complete  solution  of 
the  many  and  vexed  questions  in  language,  in  science,  and 
in  history  which  pertain  to  the  so-called  "  Books  of  Moses." 
The  merits  of  Dr.  Murphy's  work  are  a  nice  critical  analysis 
of  the  text,  a  candid  consideration  of  all  alleged  dilTiculties,  a 
common-sense  view  of  the  principles  of  interpretation,  and  a 
philosophical  clearness  and  comprehensiveness  in  the  statement 
of  inference  or  of  doctrine.  It  consists  of  an  exact  literal 
translation  of  such  passages  as  contain  either  verbal  or  gram- 
matical difficulties,  and  of  a  critical  and  exegetical  commen- 
tary, based  upon  the  grammatical  construction  of  the  text,  and 
framed  in  view  of  the  best  lights  of  modern  criticism  and 
science.  Thus,  in  the  narratives  of  the  creation  and  the  del- 
uge, our  author  unfolds  step  by  step  the  literal  meaning  of  the 
sacred  writer,  and  evolves  from  the  Hebrew  a  sense  which  well 
accords  with  the  facts  of  astronomical  and  geological  science. 
The  philological  considerations  that,  in  describing  the  creation, 
the  sacred  writer  "presents  each  change  as  it  would  appear  to  an 
ordinary  spectator  standing  on  the  earth,"  that  he  notes  "  only 
obvious  results,"  and  "  touches  merely  the  heads  of  things," 
are  the  key  to  a  method  of  interpretation  which  leaves  the 


IV  PREFACE  TO  THE  AMERICAN  EDITION. 

largest  freodom  to  scientific  inquiry.  The  author's  use  of  the 
term  "  day,"  though  too  much  restricted  by  literalism  in  his 
comment  upon  verse  5  of  chapter  i,,  finds  all  reasonable  ex- 
pansion in  the  principle  laid  down  under  verse  12,  that  "  there 
is  a  due  proportion  Ijetween  the  action  and  the  time  of  the 
action,  the  creation  to  be  developed  and  tlie  time  of  the  de- 
velopment." 

In  treating  of  the  deluge,  Dr.  Murphy  shows  that  all  the 
requirements  of  the  Hebrew  text  are  met  by  the  supposition 
of  a  flood  wliich  covered  the  portion  of  the  earth's  surface 
then  known  to  man  ;  and  that  "  the  sobriety  and  historical 
veracity  of  the  narrative  are  strikingly  exhibited  in  the  moder- 
ate lieight  to  which  the  waters  are  said  to  have  risen  above  the 
ancient  hills."  It  is  doubtful,  however,  whether  it  would  re- 
lieve the  difficulties  pertaining  to  the  account  of  the  creation, 
were  we  there  to  limit  the  earth  to  "  so  much  of  the  surface  of 
our  globe  as  was  known  by  observation  "  in  tlie  time  of  Moses. 
This  notion  was  pressed  to  an  extreme  by  Dr.  Pye  Smith,  in 
the  supposition  of  a  partial  chaos  in  tlie  region  of  the  land  of 
Eden.  I  do  not  understand  Dr.  Murphy,  however,  to  limit 
the  term  "  earth,"  in  Gen.  i.  2,  any  further  than  by  insisting 
that  "  the  desolation  and  disorder  are  limited  in  their  range  to 
the  land,  and  do  not  extend  to  the  skies."  He  lays  down  a 
true  principle  of  interpretation  when  he  says,  further,  that 
"  along  with  the  sky  and  its  conspicuous  objects,  the  land  then 
known  to  the  primeval  man  formed  tlie  sum  total  of  tlie 
observable  universe.  These  two  terms  —  the  heavens  and  the 
earth  —  have  not  even  yet  arrived  at  their  full  complement  of 
meaning;  and  it  was  not  the  object  or  the  effect  of  divine 
revelation  to  anticipate  sciefice  on  these  points." 

It  is  enough  for  tlic  purpose  of  silencing  scientific,  or  rather 
wwscientific  cavils  against  tlie  inspiration  of  Genesis,  that  we 
show  there  is  no  real  contradiction,  but  a  substantial  agree- 
ment, between  the  Mosaic  cosmogony  and  the  established  truths 
of  physical  science.     Professor  Dana  has  shown  conclusively, 


PREFACE  TO  THE  AMEEICAN  EDITION.  V 

in  i\\Q  closing  chapter  of  his  "  Manual  of  Geology,"  that  '•  the 
order  of  events  in  the  Scripture  cosmogony  corresponds  essen- 
tially "  with  that  which  is  deduced  from  the  observations  of 
science  upon  the  crust  of  the  earth.  Yet  while  this  general 
harmony  of  Genesis  with  geology  is  established,  we  may  safely 
affirm,  with  another  Christian  scientist,  that  "  the  classification 
of  the  rocks  is  not  yet  in  a  condition  to  warrant  us  to  believe 
it  likely  that  any  scheme  will  bo  found  satisfactory,  which 
claims  to  have  discovered  a  comijlete  parallelism  between  the 
ages  of  nature,  as  revealed  to  us  in  the  fossiliferous  strata,  and 
the  days  of  creation  described  in  the  first  chapter  of  Genesis."^ 
In  this  indeterminate  state  of  the  question,  it  is  enough  that 
Dr.  Murphy  has  established  a  reasonable  harmony  between 
his  interpretation  of  the  history  of  creation  by  Moses  and  the 
schedule  of  creation  as  furnished  by  geology. 

The  sententious  philosophy  of  the  author  is  strikingly  ap- 
parent in  his  comments  upon  "  the  great  introductory  sentence" 
of  Genesis  :  "  Tliis  simple  sentence  denies  atheism ;  for  it 
assumes  the  being  of  God.  It  denies  polytheism,  and  among 
its  various  forms  the  doctrine  of  two  eternal  principles,  the 
one  good  and  the  other  evil  ;  for  it  confesses  the  one  eternal 
Creator.  It  denies  materialism  ;  for  it  asserts  the  creation  of 
matter.  It  denies  pantheism  ;  for  it  assumes  the  existence  of 
God  before  all  things,  and  apart  from  them.  It  denies  fatalism ; 
for  it  involves  the  freedom  of  the  Eternal  Being."  A  writer 
who  is  capable  of  such  clear  and  discriminating  thought  ex- 
pressed in  language  so  strong  and  compact,  will  be  welcomed 
by  American  students  of  theology. 

The  laws  of  interpretation  laid  down  by  Dr.  Murphy  in  his 
Introduction,  commend  themselves  equally  by  their  simplicity 
and  their  good  sense.  It  is  the  boast  of  the  destructive  criti- 
cism that  it  subjects  the  Old  Testament  to  the  same  tests  wliich 
it  applies  to  other  ancient  documents  ;  but  in  point  of  fact,  this 
criticism  applies  to  the  Bible  the  most  arbitrary  and  exceptional 

1  Dr.  John  Duns;  Biblical  Natural  Science,  I.  48. 


yi  PREFACE  TO  THE  AMEEICAN  EDITION. 

methods.  How  many  difficulties  raised  by  Bishop  Colonso 
against  the  authenticity  of  the  Pentateuch  would  have  been 
obviated  by  the  simple  principle  that  "  we  cannot  found  the 
slightest  inference  on  a  passage  which  we  do  not  understand, 
or  affirm  a  single  discrepancy  until  we  have  made  all  reason- 
able inquiry  whether  it  really  exists,  and  what  is  its  precise 
nature  and  amount  "  !  Thus  Colenso's  objection  to  Lev.  viii. 
1-4,  that  the  court  of  the  tabernacle  could  not  have  contained 
the  whole  congregation,  betrays  his  want  of  familiarity  with 
Hebrew  terms. 

"  The  congregation  is  simply  a  multitude  assembled,  a  gath- 
ering or  collection  of  people,  without  reference  to  organization 
or  special  appointment.  With  the  definite  article,  it  generally 
meant  the  whole  body  of  the  people.  Hence  every  assembly 
was  a  congregation ;  but  every  congregation  was  not  an  assem- 
bly. We  may  say  the  congregration  of  the  assembly,  but  we 
do  not  say  in  Scripture  language  the  assembly  of  the  congrega- 
tion. 

"  The  word  mo'' eel  means  appointed  or  stated  meeting  time, 
and  an  appointed  festival  or  convention  held  at  that  time.  It 
is  the  word  constantly  used  in  the  phrase  '  tabernacle  of  the 
congregation,'  which  is  the  tent  of  appointment  or  meeting, 
at  the  door  of  Avhich  all  civil  and  sacred  meetings  were  by 
appointment  held.  Now,  putting  the  true  equivalents  for  the 
three  words  edah,  qahal,  and  mo''ed  where  they  occur,  the 
passage  quoted  stands  thus  :  '  And  gather  tliou  all  the  assem- 
bly to  the  door  of  the  tent  of  meeting.  And  Moses  did  as 
Jehovah  commanded  him,  and  the  assembly  was  gathered  into 
the  door  of  the  tent  of  the  meeting.'  Plere,  then,  it  appears 
the  term  in  the  original  is  the  assembly,  a  select  body,  con- 
taining, not  certainly  the  women  and  children,  unless  as  idle 
spectators,  nor  even  the  main  part  of  the  able-bodied  men  of 
twenty  years  old  and  upwards,  but  the  princes  of  tribes,  the 
chiefs  of  houses,  the  elders,  and  probably  the  '  officers  '  and 
some  of  the  higher  judges,  and  including  a  proportion  of  the 


PREFACE  TO  THE  AMERICAN  EDITION.  VII 

priestly  tribo  under  these  designations.  The  number  of  those 
who  were  reguLar  members  of  this  assembly,  or  of  those  who 
were  actually  in  attendance  on  this  occasion,  ive  do  not  know. 
And  thus  it  is  utterly  impossible  for  us  to  create  an  impos- 
sibility here,  do  or  suppose  what  we  will."  ^ 

Dr.  Murpliy  reminds  his  readers  that  a  meeting  of  parish- 
ioners is  summoned  and  held  in  the  vestry  of  the  parish  church, 
and  legally  transacts  the  parish  business,  though  according  to 
the  Bishop  of  Natal  "  the  vestry  would  only  hold  six  abreast, 
and  at  that  rate  the  parishioners  would  extend  perhaps  ten 
miles  into  space  !  "  Applying  this  common-sense  view  to  the 
case  in  hand,  he  says  : 

"  Let  us  recollect  that  the  court  was  fifty  cubits  wide,  and 
that  its  gate  was  twenty  cubits  —  twice  the  width  of  the  door 
of  the  tent — or  thirty-six  feet  wide.  Now,  with  a  tent-door 
of  eighteen  feet,  and  a  court-entrance  of  thirty-six  feet,  only 
ninety  feet  apart,  and  a  laver  and  an  altar  in  the  interval, 
what  will  a  reasonable  man,  with  some  little  practical  experi- 
ence in  pu]jlic  meetings,  understand  by  being  assembled  '  at 
the  door  of  the  tent  of  meeting  ? '  Obviously  lie  will  suppose 
such  an  assembly  may  be  in  any  part  of  the  square  within  the 
court  or  of  the  space  in  front  of  it  wdiich  may  be  required  for 
the  convenience  of  the  assembly.  If  you  are  told  that  a  man 
is  at  your  door,  you  suppose  him,  no  doubt,  to  be  within  a 
foot  or  two  of  it ;  but  if  you  are  told  that  a  mob  is  at  your 
door,  you  presently  imagine  that  they  may  occupy  not  only 
the  area,  but  the  whole  of  the  opposite  street.  How  much 
more,  if  your  door  were  eighteen  feet  wide,  your  area-gate 
thirty-six,  and  the  multitude  tenfold  greater  !  We  read  in 
Acts  xiii.  44,  that  the  next  Sabbath-day  came  almost  the  ivhole 
city  together  to  hear  the  Word  of  God  ;   and  in  xvii.  5,  that 


1  The  nineteen  alleged  impossibilities  of  Colenso  on  the  Pentateuch  sho-svn  to  be 
possible.  Bj'  the  Rev.  James  G.  Mm-phy,  LL.D.,  T.C.D.  London,  James  Nisbit  & 
Co.  pp.  15,  16. 


Tin  PREFACE  TO  THE  AMEKiCAN  EDITION. 

tliuy  set  all  the  city  i;i  an  uproar,  and  assaulted  the  house  of 
Jason.     Hero  all  the  city  was  at  the  door  of  one  house."  ^ 

These  examples,  taken  from  another  work  of  our  author, 
illustrate  the  principle  laid  down  above,  and  expose  the  fallacy 
of  much  of  the  hypothetical  criticism  upon  the  Pentateuch. 
"  In  fact,"  says  Dr.  Murphy,  "  the  argument  of  the  school  of 
critics  to  which  Dr.  Colenso  belongs  is  built  up  of  a  series  of 
surmises  upon  the  ground  of  certain  difficulties  which  they 
cannot  solve.  This  is  a  beguiling  sort  of  argument.  He  that 
deals  in  it  is  prone  to  forgot  the  difference  between  the  bearing 
of  a  probability  or  presumption  on  a  supposition  and  on  a 
conclusion.  A  second  or  third  presumption  in  favor  of  a  sup- 
position adds  to  its  probability.  But  if  one  probable  premise 
enter  into  our  reasoning,  the  remotest  conclusion  can  never 
rise  above  that  probability.  If  two  premises  are  only  probable, 
every  after-conclusion  is  less  probable  than  either  of  them. 
On  the  other  hand,  an  established  fact  outweighs  a  whole  host 
of  adverse  presumptions,  and  ninety-nine  undisputed  state- 
ments are  abundantly  sufficient  to  sustain  one  that  admits  of 
some  dispute."  ^ 

This  general  reasoning  Dr.  Murphy  afterwards  presses  with 
the  argiwientuni  ad  hominem  against  Colenso' s  alleged  incon- 
gruities in  the  account  of  the  passover. 

"  The  Bishop  knows  a  little  of  Hebrew  ;  but  he  is  not  what 
we  should  call  a  Hebrew  scholar.  Ho  docs  not  understand, 
or  ho  docs  not  know  how  to  apply,  the  laws  of  Hebrew  compo- 
sition. Vrhen  the  sacred  writer  spoke  of  midnight  in  the 
previous  chapter  [Exodus  xi.]  he  was,  let  us  admit,  arrived  at 
tlie  14th  Abib  in  one  line  of  the  history.  But  then  he  had 
another  to  carry  on,  and  so  he  goes  back  in  the  twelfth  chapter 
to  the  1st  Abib  to  bring  up  this  second  line.  And  in  the 
twelfth  verse  '  this  night '  means  the  night  after  the  14th 
Abib  mentioned  in  the  sixth  verse.  For  the  Hebrew  writer 
always  imagines  himself  at  the  time  and  place  of  the  scene 

1  Ibid.  p.  17.  2  Ibid.  p.  81. 


PREFACE  TO  THE  AMERICAN  EDITION.  IX 

described,  and  therefore  naturally  uses  this  night  in  reference 
to  the  14th  day  at  which  he  has  arrived  in  his  directions. 
And  besides,  if  this  night  were  the  night  of  the  14th,  as  the 
Bishop  insists,  how  could  directions  be  given  on  the  14th  about 
what  was  to  be  done  on  the  10th  ?  Here  is  a  man  who  is  igno- 
rant of  three  common  laws  of  Hebrew  composition,  or  does  not 
know  how  to  apply  them,  presuming  to  criticize  Moses,  and 
only  bv-^traying  the  shallowness  of  his  own  knowledge  or  the 
precipitancy  of  his  own  judgment." 

Dr.  Colenso's  arithmetical  difficulties  with  regard  to  the 
duties  and  the  apportionments  of  the  priests  are  disposed  of 
by  Dr.  Murphy  with  a  combination  of  logic,  learning,  and  wit 
that  leaves  the  Bishop  of  Natal  but  little  ground  to  stand  upon. 
The  following  spicy  paragraph  concludes  that  portion  of  the 
discussion  : 

"  It  seems  a  strange  thing  for  a  bishop  to  object  to  thirteen 
cities  being  given  to  the  priestly  family.  Has  he  never  heard 
of  bishops'  lands  with  towns  built  on  them  ?  Surely,  if  they 
could  not  inhabit  all  the  houses,  they  could  let  them  to  solvent 
tenants.  This  is  the  most  frivolous  objection  we  have  ever 
met  with,  and  especially  from  such  a  quarter.  Most  of  our 
readers  are  acquainted  with  such  things  as  bishops'  palaces, 
revenues,  lands,  rentals,  etc.,  and  will  not  therefore  be  greatly 
astonished  at  thirteen  towns  with  their  suburbs  for  the  whole 
future  priesthood  of  Israel." 

A  second  general  principle  laid  down  by  Dr.  Murphy  is, 
that  "  presumed  contradictions  or  discrepancies  in  the  book 
lie  as  well  against  the  theory  of  a  mechanical  compilation  from 
heterogeneous  materials  by  a  final  redactor  as  against  an  orig- 
inal unity  of  authorship."  The  favorite  argument  of  the  de- 
structive school  of  critics  is,  that  the  discrepancies  between 
the  so-called  Jehovistic  and  Elohistic  elements  in  the  Penta- 
teuch forbid  the  supposition  of  unity  of  authorship  ;  and  hence 
the  hypothesis  that  the  Books  of  Moses  were  a  compilation  from 
distinct  documents  and  traditions,  to  which  an  uncertain  date 


X  PREFACE  TO  THE  AMERICAN  EDITION. 

is  assigned,  somewhere  in  the  period  between  the  Judges  and 
tlie  Babylonish  exile.  But  even  if  the  alleged  discrepancies 
could  be  established  — which  Dr.  Murphy  by  no  means  admits 
—  the  fact  would  weigh  as  well  against  unity  of  editorship  as 
against  an  original  unity  of  authorship.  Indeed,  a  compiler  or 
redactor  of  a  later  age  might  be  expected  to  correct  discrepan- 
cies which  had  crept  into  the  original  composition.  And  Dr. 
Murphy  reasons  conclusively  that  any  possible  hypothesis  for 
the  solution  of  the  difficulties  inherent  in  an  ancient  history 
which  bears  the  general  marks  of  antiquity,  is  sufficient  to  re- 
move the  objection  that  the  narrative  is  self-contradictory.  We 
owe  much  to  a  writer  whose  critical  learning  is  guided  and 
applied  by  such  strong  common  sense. 

Dr.  Murphy  has  condensed  his  theory  of  inspiration  into  this 
pithy  aphorism,  —  that  the  Bible  is  the  Word  of  God,  "  with 
all  the  peculiarities  of  man  and  all  the  authority  of  God." 
This  same  thought  he  has  amplified  in  the  pamphlet  so  often 
quoted,  — 

"  The  inspiration  of  the  written  Word  of  God  we  consider 
simply  explained  by  the  following  words  from  Rev.  ii.  1  : 
"  Unto  the  angel  of  the  church  of  Ephesus,  writer  Here  the 
Lord  dictates,  and  John  writes.  The  mode  in  which  this  takes 
place  is  not  our  concern  ;  i\\Qfact  is.  The  thoughts,  purposes, 
commands,  doctrines,  promises  of  God,  pass  through  the  chan- 
nel of  John's  mind,  and  come  to  expression  by  his  tongue  or 
1)y  his  pen.  Hence  the  Scriptures  are  for  the  matter  and  the 
form  in  one  respect  the  Word  of  God,  —  displaying  the  unity, 
harmony,  and  infallibility  of  its  lofty  source,  —  and  in  another 
respect  the  word  of  man  —  exhibiting  all  the  peculiarities  of 
his  mother  tongue  and  his  individual  mind.  The  simple  de- 
velopment of  this  proposition  will  explain  all  those  phenomena 
of  Scripture  by  which  it  proves  itself  to  be  in  the  primary 
sense  the  Word  of  God,  and  at  the  same  time,  in  the  secondary 
sense,  the  word  of  the  actual  writer." 

But  ii  is  not  within  the  province  of  this  brief  Introduction 


PREFACE  TO  THE  AMERICAN  EDITION.  XI 

to  analyze  all  the  principles  of  the  author,  nor  to  discuss  his 
opinions  upon  disputed  questions.  It  only  remains  to  add  a 
few  words  concerning  the  author  himself. 

Dr.  Murphy  was  born  in  1808,  in  the  village  of  Comber, 
County  Down,  about  seven  miles  from  Belfast.  After  the 
usual  scholastic  training  he  entered  Trinity  College,  Dublin, 
where  he  soon  attained  the  technical  rank  of  a  "  scholar," 
which  entitled  him  to  certain  important  privileges.  In  1836 
he  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  in  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
and  commenced  his  parochial  labors  in  the  town  of  Ballyshan- 
non,  County  Donegall,  where  he  remained  till  1841,  when  he 
removed  to  Belfast  as  Head  Master  of  the  Royal  Academical 
Institution.  He  was  no  less  distinguished  as  a  mathematician 
than  for  his  classical  attainments. 

In  1847  he  was  appointed  by  the  General  Assembly  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  to  his  present  ofiice  as  Professor  of  He- 
brew in  the  Assembly's  College  at  Belfast.  This  college, 
which  nearly  corresponds  to  an  American  theological  semi- 
nary, has  a  Faculty  consisting  of  Dr.  Cooke,  Professor  of 
Sacred  Rhetoric  and  Catechetics ;  Dr.  Edgar,  Professor  of 
Systematic  Theology ;  Dr.  Killen,  Professor  of  Church  History 
and  Pastoral  Theology ;  Dr.  Murphy,  Professor  of  Hebrew  and 
other  Oriental  Languages ;  Dr.  Gibson,  Professor  of  Natural 
Theology  and  Christian  Ethics  ;  and  Dr.  J.  L.  Porter,  Profes- 
sor of  Biblical  Literature.  Several  of  these  gentlemen  are 
well  known  in  the  United  States.  Drs.  Edgar  and  Gibson 
have  visited  this  country,  and  Dr.  Gibson's  narrative  of  the 
"  Year  of  Grace  in  Ireland,"  published  by  Messrs.  Gould  & 
Lincoln,  has  had  an  extensive  circulation  ;  Dr.  Killeu's  vol- 
ume on  "  The  Ancient  Church  "  has  been  republished  by  Mr. 
Scribner  of  New  York  ;  Dr.  Porter,  formerly  of  Damascus, 
has  contributed  several  articles  to  the  Bibliotheca  Sacra  and  to 
various  Biblical  encyclopedias. 

The  Assembly's  College  has,  upon  an  average,  about  one 
hundred  students  in  theology  in  its   several  classes.      It   is 


Xn  PREFACE  TO  THE  AMERICAN  EDITION. 

iinclor  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Goneral  Assembly,  though  each 
Professor  receives  an  endowment  from  the  government  of 
two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  in  addition  to  students'  fees. 

Adjacent  to  this  institution  is  Queen's  College,  which  has 
an  average  of  four  hundred  students,  in  arts,  medicine,  law, 
and  agriculture.  This  college  furnishes  yearly  a  large  num- 
ber of  students  to  the  theological  college  ;  the  two  institutions 
working  in  entire  harmony. 

Dr.  Murphy  received  from  Trinity  College  the  honorary 
degree  of  LL.  D.  He  is  thoroughly  Irish  in  birth,  in  education, 
in  ecclesiastical  offices,  and  in  literary  labors  and  honors.  In 
addition  to  the  volume  on  Genesis  herewith  presented  to  the 
public,  he  has  published  a  Hebrew  Grammar  for  the  use  of  his 
students,  and  has  translated  Kelt's  Commentary  on  Kings  for 
Clark's  Foreign  Theological  Library.  He  has  now  nearly 
completed  his  Commentary  on  Exodus.  His  view  upon  the 
most  important  point  of  Egyptian  chronology  is  foreshadowed 
in  a  private  note  to  the  subscriber,  as  follows  :  "  Adhering 
still  to  the  Hebrew  or  Masoretic  text  of  the  Old  Testament,  I 
am  constrained  to  stand  by  the  Hebrew  chronology  until  I 
meet  with  some  experimentum  crucis  that  will  prove  or  dis- 
prove it." 

In  character.  Dr.  Murphy  has  the  simplicity  of  tlie  true 
scholar  and,  the  devout  and  humble  spirit  of  the  true  disciple 
of  Christ.  In  introducing  him  to  American  students  at  the 
present  period,  it  is  not  unimportant  to  add  that  he  lias 
shared  the  sympathy  of  his  colleague,  Dr.  Gibson,  for  t'lc 
United  States  during  our  struggle  with  the  rebellion,  and  that 
as  a  friend  of  freedom  and  of  the  progress  of  humanity,  he  de- 
sires, "  the  prosperity  of  this  country  in  all  its  noble  and  benefi- 
cent enterprises." 

JOSEPH  P.  THOMPSON. 
New  York,  Nov.  1865. 


AUTHOR'S    PREFACE. 


Ax  aucient  writing,  purporting  to  be  continuous  and  handed  do-wn  to  us  as  the 
work  of  one  autlior,  is  to  be  received  as  such  unless  we  have  good  and  solid  reasons 
for  the  contrary.  The  Pentateuch  is  a  book  exactly  of  this  description,  continuous 
in  its  form,  and  coming  down  to  us  as  in  the  main  the  work  of  Moses.  We  may 
not  give  up  this  prima  facie  evidence  without  cause.  In  particular,  we  should 
require  strong  and  cogent  arguments  to  convince  us  that  this  interesting  monu- 
ment of  antiquity  is,  as  some  say,  a  dry  and  bare  compilation,  not  even  of  document 
after  document,  but  of  selections  from  several  later  works  all  going  over  nearly 
the  same  ground,  dovetailed  into  one  another  by  a  still  later  hand  to  form  a  fac- 
titious whole.  For  at  first  sight  this  seems  to  be  a  mere  stretch  of  fancy,  in  which 
criticism  has  overmastered  philosophy.  A  scheme  so  intricate  in  foi-m  and  fantastic 
in  conception  cannot  be  accepted,  unless  it  stand  on  impregnable  grounds. 

The  main  grounds  on  which  this  theory  rests  appear  to  be  two,  —  first,  certain 
discrepancies  and  difficulties  that  are  supposed  to  be  adverse  to  the  unity  and  early 
origin  of  the  work ;  and  second,  certain  characteristics  of  style,  by  which  the  se- 
lections are  detected  and  restored  to  their  original  authors,  who  are  then  seen  to 
bo  consistent  in  themselves,  though  still  inconsistent  with  one  another.  And  the 
result  to  which  this  theory  leads,  is,  that  the  Pentateuch  is  neither  given  by  inspi- 
ration of  God  nor  historically  valid,  but  rather  a  mechanical  compilation  of  a 
later  age  from  heterogeneous  materials,  the  discrepancies  of  which  the  compiler 
had  not  either  the  sense  to  perceive  or  the  tact  to  eliminate. 

Before  we  accept  a  conclusion  fraught  with  such  results,  it  is  obvious  that  we 
are  bound  to  be  fully  assured,  both  that  the  premises  are  in  themselves  true,  and 
that  they  are  able  to  bear  all  the  weight  that  is  laid  on  them.  Hence  three  ques- 
tions come  before  us  for  adjudication.  1.  Of  what  nature  must  the  difficulties  of 
statement  and  style  be  to  constrain  us  to  the  adoption  of  this  theory  ?  2.  What  is 
tlie  amount  of  the  difficulties  actually  involved  in  the  statements  of  the  book,  and 
what  are  the  peculiarities  of  style  that  characterize  its  different  parts?  3.  Are 
these  difficulties  of  statement  and  diversities  of  style  of  such  a  nature  that  they 
could  onl}'  arise  from  a  medley  of  the  kind  supposed  1  Do  the  former  distm-b  the 
unity  and  early  origin  of  the  book,  as  well  as  its  historical  value  and  divine  au- 
thority? Do  the  latter  enable  us  to  assign  its  several  parts  to  their  respective 
authors  1 

The  first  of  these  is  the  question  of  principle.  It  involves  the  axioms  or  postu- 
lates on  which  the  whole  discussion  turns.  It  is  freely  granted  that  the  presence  of 
plain  contradictions  or  impossibilities  is  sufficient  to  overturn  the  historical  credit 
or  the  early  origin  of  a  work.    But  they  do  not  prove  the  diversity  of  authorship 


XIV  AUTHOR'S  PREFACE. 

propounded  in  the  above  theory.  It  is  acknowledged  on  all  sides  that  some  one 
hand  at  length  put  the  Pentateuch  together  in  its  ultimate  form.  And  if  a  final 
redactor  did  not  see  the  presumed  contradictions  or  did  not  regard  them,  neither 
might  the  original  author.  This  pai-t  of  the  theory,  therefore,  has  no  support  from 
the  supposed  existence  of  impossibilities. 

The  appearance,  however,  of  discrepancies  or  difficulties  that  fall  short  of  the 
contradictory  or  impossible,  cannot  be  allowed  to  have  these  effects.  So  far  from 
seeming  strange,  they  are  to  be  expected  in  a  work  more  than  three  thousand 
years  old,  containing  a  brief  history  of  at  least  twenty-two  centuries,  and  dealing, 
not  in  abstract  or  general  assertions,  but  in  concrete  and  definite  statements. 
They  rather  confirm  than  weaken  its  claim  to  antiquity  and  genuineness,  so  long 
as  they  stand  within  the  bounds  of  possibility.  If  there  be  any  possible  mode  of 
reconciling  the  seemingly  incompatible  statements,  the  contradiction  is  removed. 
If  a  second  mode  can  be  pointed  out,  the  contradiction  is  still  more  remote.  For 
several  solutions  of  an  apparent  contradiction  are  so  far  from  counteracting  that 
they  sustain  one  another  in  repelling  it  to  a  vanishing  distance.  Not  one  of  them 
may  be  the  real  missing  link  in  the  chain  of  facts,  which  by  hypothesis,  be  it 
remembered,  is  unknown ;  but  they  all  combine  to  show  that  the  events  in  question 
may  occur,  not  in  one,  but  in  a  variety  of  ways. 

It  must,  we  think,  be  conceded  that  all  the  diversities  of  style  that  have  been 
or  can  be  discovered,  apart  from  contradictions  or  impossibilities,  do  not  suffice  to 
prove  a  work  to  be  a  medley  from  dificrcnt  authors.  They  cannot  in  the  nature 
of  things  have  the  force  of  demonstration.  Having  the  authors,  we  may  make 
out  characteristics  of  style.  Having  a  foregone  conclusion  as  to  certain  passages, 
we  may  trace  and  tabulate  their  peculiarities.  But  all  this  may  proceed  from 
diversity  of  topic,  mental  state  or  design  in  the  same  author,  and  scarcely  affords 
the  color  of  a  presumption  for  the  intermingling  of  pieces  from  different  authors. 

The  full  discussion  of  this  question  belongs  to  another  place.  But  meanwhile 
we  conclude,  that,  as  contradictions  may  occur  in  the  work  of  one  author,  and 
certain  diversities  in  the  use  of  words  may  appear  in  different  pieces  of  the  same 
writer,  these  phenomena  are  not  sufficient  of  themselves  to  substantiate  the  whole 
theory  under  consideration.  The  existence,  however,  of  absolute  contradictions 
or  impossibilities  in  its  statements  deprives  a  work  of  independent  historical  value 
or  great  antiquity  of  origin. 

The  second  question  regards  the  actual  contents  of  the  book.  What  are  the 
difficulties  it  actually  presents,  and  the  diversities  of  style  it  exhibits  ?  To  ascer- 
tain these  facts,  we  must  examine  the  book,  and  determine  as  far  as  possible  its 
real  meaning.  This  is  especially  necessary  in  a  work  that  has  come  down  to  us 
from  a  hoary  antiquity,  composed  in  a  language  that  has  not  been  spoken  for 
eighteen  centuries,  and  in  a  style  which,  thougli  regular  and  systematic,  is  yet 
remarkably  simple  and  primitive.  We  shall  be  doing  great  wrong  to  this  vener- 
able document,  if  we  ascribe  to  it  statements  for  which  its  own  words,  fairly  inter- 
preted, do  not  vouch.  We  cannot  found  the  slightest  inference  on  a  passage  which 
we  do  not  understand,  or  affirm  a  single  discrepancy  until  we  have  made  all 
reasonable  inquiry  whether  it  really  exists,  and  what  is  its  precise  nature  and 
amount. 

The  following  work  is  a  contribution  towards  this  important  branch  of  the 
inquiry.  It  is  an  attempt  to  apply  the  laws  of  interpretation  to  the  first  book  of 
the  Pentateuch.     The  interest  attached  to  the  book  of  Genesis  can  hardly  be  cxag- 


AUTHOR'S  PREFACE.  XV 

gerated.  It  contains  the  records  of  the  present  condition  of  the  earth  and  of  the 
human  race  from  its  origin  to  the  time  of  Moses.  It  answers  the  fundamental 
questions  of  theology,  of  physics,  of  ethics,  and  of  philology.  The  difSculty  of  its 
exposition  is  proportioned  to  the  antiquity  of  its  origin  and  the  loftiness  of  its 
theme.  The  present  attempt  to  elucidate  its  meaning  is  neither  perfect  in  its  exe- 
cution nor  exhaustive  in  its  results.  But  it  makes  some  important  advances  in 
both  these  directions,  as  the  author  conceives ;  and  therefore  it  has  been  submitted 
to  public  examination. 

The  work  consists  of  a  translation  of  the  original,  and  a  critical  and  exegetical 
commentary,  the  whole  forming  a  full  interpretation  of  the  sacred  text.  With 
the  exception  of  the  first  chapter,  which  is  extremely  literal,  the  translation  is  a 
revision  of  the  authorized  version.  On  a  close  comparison  of  this  version  with  the 
original,  we  find  everything  to  admire  in  the  purity  of  the  English,  and  little  to 
amend  in  the  faithfulness  of  the  rendering.  The  emendations  introduced  aim  at 
a  nearer  approach  to  the  original  meaning  in  some  passages,  and  in  others  to  the 
original  mode  of  thought  and  expression.  Alterations  of  the  former  kind  are  of 
essential  moment ;  in  making  which  the  author  has  endeavored  to  divest  his  mind 
of  any  questionable  preconception  that  might  warp  his  judgment.  The  minor- 
changes  consist  chiefly  in  adhering  more  closely  to  the  original  order  of  words,  in 
rendering  the  same  word  in  Hebrew  as  often  as  possible  by  the  same  word  in  Eng- 
lish, and  in  occasionally  substituting  a  word  of  English  origin  for  one  derived 
from  the  Latin.  In  expressing  the  sense  of  the  original,  the  author  has  been 
greatly  aided  by  the  English  version,  and  is  fully  persuaded  that  no  independent 
version  more  adapted  to  the  genius  of  the  English  language  will  ever  be  produced. 
Nevertheless,  even  tins  part  of  his  work  will,  he  hopes,  be  found  to  have  thrown 
considerable  light  on  the  meaning  of  the  book  that  did  not  appear  in  the  English 
version. 

The  commentary  is  the  complement  of  the  translation.  It  is  critical  and  exe- 
getical ;  but  so  far  as  these  qualities  are  distinct,  much  more  attention  has  been 
paid  to  the  latter.  The  formation  of  an  improved  text  is  not  within  the  scope  of 
the  present  work.  The  edition  of  Van  der  Hooght,  the  textus  receptus  of  the  Old . 
Testament,  is  sufficient  for  all  ordinary  passages,  and  has  been  followed  here. 
Peculiarities  of  form  and  syntax  have  been  only  sparingly  discussed,  as  they  are 
all  noted  and  explained  in  our  grammars  and  lexicons.  The  higher  criticism,  or 
the  interpretation  of  the  text,  has  been  the  chief  study  of  the  author,  to  which  all 
other  matters  have  been  made  subsidiary.  It  has  been  his  endeavor  to  bring  out 
the  meaning  of  the  original  according  to  the  philosophy  of  language,  thought,  and 
history. 

Eor  this  purpose  a  few  general  principles  of  interpretation  have  been  laid  down, 
which,  it  is  hoped,  will  meet  with  universal  acceptance.  These  have  been  applied 
to  elicit  as  far  as  possible  the  precise  meaning  of  the  sacred  writer,  the  order  of 
thought,  and  the  order  of  time.  A  careful  study  of  the  method  of  composition  has 
enabled  him  to  throw  much  light  on  the  logical  order  of  the  narrative,  and  the 
physical  order  of  the  events  related. 

Many  difficulties  of  great  magnitude,  such  as  those  respecting  the  six  days' 
creation  and  the  deluge,  have  disappeared  in  the  mere  process  of  interpretation. 
None  of  any  importance  known  to  the  author  are  left  without  a  solntion.  Other 
solutions  might  in  some  cases  have  proved  more  acceptable  to  some  minds.  But 
he  has  acted  to  the  best  of  his  judgment  in  presenting  what  seemed  to  him  most 


XVI  AUTHOR'S  PREFACE. 

probable,  and  has  contented  himself  with  the  reflection  that  a  possible  solution 
serves  to  remove  the  appearance  of  contradiction,  while  it  is  Ln  itself  of  no  historical 
value. 

Variety  of  style  has  been  certainly  found  in  the  different  parts  of  the  book ;  but 
then  it  has  been  only  such  as  the  same  author  might  display  according  to  the  sub- 
divisions of  his  plan  and  subject.  It  cannot  be  demonstrably  or  even  probably 
ascribed  to  a  medley  of  passages  from  different  authors. 

If  these  results  stand  the  test  of  impartial  criticism,  the  scheme  of  a  congeries 
of  pieces  put  together  by  a  later  hand  with  all  its  consequences  falls  to  the  ground, 
so  far  as  the  book  of  Genesis  is  concerned.  The  right  interpretation  of  the  re- 
maining books  of  the  Pentateuch  will,  the  author  believes,  be  attended  with  the 
same  result.  The  fundamental  proposition  regarding  the  Pentateuch,  with  which 
we  started,  will  then  remain  undisturbed  in  all  its  integrity,  before  even  a  single 
particle  of  the  positive  evidence  by  which  it  is  supported  has  been  adduced. 

The  fair  interpretation  of  these  books,  however,  serves  much  more  than  the  mere 
negative  purpose  of  obviating  difEculdes.  It  presents  before  the  mind  in  its  native 
connection  the  wonderful  harmony  of  this  ancient  book  with  itself,  with  history, 
and  with  physical  and  metaphysical  science.  It  proves  a  volume,  extant  long 
before  science  was  born,  and  couched  in  the  language  of  common  life,  to  be  in  no 
respect  at  variance  with  the  conclusions  of  astronomy  and  geology,  while  it  is  the 
fountain-head  of  theological  and  ethical  philosophy.  These  disclosures  are  the 
meet  sequel  of  the  external  evidence  by  which  its  genuineness,  credibility,  and  di- 
vine authority  are  attested.  This  body  of  external  and  internal  evidence  demon- 
strates that  it  is,  what  it  purports  in  every  page  to  be,  the  revelation  of  the  early 
ways  of  God  with  man. 

The  growing  sense  of  the  fundamental  concord  that  must  subsist  between  the 
book  of  revelation  and  the  book  of  nature  renders  the  just  interpretation  of  the 
earliest  portion  of  the  former  a  matter  of  the  deepest  interest  to  the  man  of  scien- 
tific and  reverent  spirit.  The  records  of  that  last  creation,  limited  in  time  and 
space,  to  which  we  ourselves  belong,  of  that  moral  declension  in  the  history  of 
man  described  as  the  fall,  of  that  mental  revolution  knoT\Ti  as  the  confusion  of 
tongues,  of  those  physical  changes  connected  with  the  deluge  and  the  overthrow 
of  Sodom  and  Amorah,  can  never  cease  to  engage  the  attention  of  the  reflective 
mind. 

Whether  the  author  will  be  j)ermitted  to  proceed  any  further  in  the  interesting 
field  of  investigation  which  he  has  traced  in  the  preceding  pages,  depends  entirely 
on  the  will  of  Providence.  Meanwhile  the  present  work  is  complete  in  itself;  and 
the  author  commits  it  to  the  world,  humbly  praying  that  a  blessing  may  attend  its 
perusal,  and  sincerely  thanking  the  God  of  all  grace  for  that  measure  of  health 
which  has  enabled  him  to  complete  his  task. 

J.  G.  M. 


INTRODUCTION. 


THE  BIBLE. 

I.  —  ITS     CONTENTS. 

The  Bible,  or  the  Book  of  God,  is  a  collection  of  writings  com- 
menced not  later  than  1500  B.C.,  and  completed  about  100  a.c.  It  is 
called  by  Irenaeus  (b.  120  A.c.)  -Sciai  ypa<^at.  Divine  Writings,  and  by 
Clemens  Alexandrinus  (d.  220  A.c.)  ypacjial,  al  ^eoTrvevo-roi  ypa^ai, 
Scriptures,  the  God-inspired  Scriptures.  Hence  it  has  been  designated 
the  Canon,  or  the  Canonical  Scriptures,  because,  including  all  and  only 
the  writings  given  by  inspiration  of  God,  it  is  the  canon  or  rule  of 
faith  and  practice  for  man.  It  is  divided  into  the  Old  and  New  Tes- 
taments, 7/  TToXaio,  SlolSyJkt}  and  rj  Katvi]  8.  The  former  is  written  in 
Hebrew  proper  (except  Jer.  x.  11  ;  Ezra  iv.  8,  vi.  18;  vii.  12-26; 
and  Dan.  ii.  4,  vii.,  which  are  in  Chaldee) ;  the  latter  in  Greek. 
There  are  sixty-six  pieces  in  the  Bible,  of  which  thirty-nine  are  in  the 
Old  Testament,  and  twenty-seven  in  the  New.  The  Jews,  however, 
reckon  twenty-two  books  in  the  Old  Testament,  corresponding  to  the 
number  of  letters  in  the  Hebrew  alphabet,  according  to  the  following 
arrangement :  Genesis,  Exodus,  Leviticus,  Numbers,  Deuteronomy ; 
Joshua,  Judges  with  Ruth,  Samuel  (i.  and  ii.),  Kings  (i.  and  ii.), 
Isaiah,  Jeremiah  with  Lamentations,  Ezekiel,  the  twelve  minor  prophets 
(Hosea,  Joel,  Amos,  Obadiah,  Jonah,  Mikah,  Nahum,  Habaccue, 
Zephaniah,  Haggai,  Zekariah,  Malaki)  ;  Psalms,  Proverbs,  Job,  Song 
of  Songs,  Ecclesiastes,  Esther,  Daniel,  Ezra  with  Nehemiah,  and 
Chronicles  (i.  and  ii.).  The  books  of  the  New  Testament  are  the 
Gospels  of  Matthew,  Mark,  Luke,  and  John,  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles ; 
the  fourteen  epistles  of  Paul  (to  the  Romans,  Corinthians  i.  and  ii., 
Galatians,  Ephesians,  Phihppians,  Colossians,  Thessalonians  i.  and  ii., 
Timothy  i,  and  ii.,  Titus,  Philemon  and  the  Hebrews),  that  of  James, 
1 


2  INTEODUCTION. 

the  two  of  Peter,  the  three  of  John,  that  of  Jude  ;  and  the  Revelation 
of  John. 

Besides  the  division  of  the  Old  Testament  into  twenty-two  books, 
there  is  another  very  important  distribution  of  it  into  three  groups  of 
writings,  called  in  the  New  Testament  the  Law,  the  Prophets,  and  the 
Psalms  or  the  remaining  sacred  writings,  6  vo/tos  koI  TrpofjirJTaiKal 
"^aXfj-oL,  D''SMn2!i  e^x^n?  trnSn.  The  Law  contains  the  five  books  of 
Moses,  the  five  fifths  of  the  law,  tTi-iPin  ^•^jrsin  nii'^q,  corresponding  to 
■which  is  the  Greek  irevTaTeuxos,  Pentateuch,  the  five-volumed  book. 
The  Prophets  contain  eight  books  :  the  former  prophets  d-^p-ix-!  D"'i<"'23, 
the  writers  of  Joshua,  Judges,  Samuel,  and  Kings  ;  the  latter  Q-^si^nx  \ 
Isaiah,  Jeremiah,  Ezekiel,  and  the  twelve  minor  prophets.  The  re- 
maining books,  called  by  the  Greek  fathers  aytoypaffia,  Hagiographa, 
or  Holy  Writings,  are  the  three  poetical  books.  Psalms,  Proverbs,  and 
Job,  the  five  nii?'?,  rolls.  Song  of  Songs,  Ruth,  Lamentations,  Ecclesi- 
astes,  Esther ;  the  prophet  Daniel ;  and  the  historical  books,  Ezra, 
Nehemiah,  and  Chronicles.  This  threefold  division  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment Canon  is  a  historical,  not  a  logical,  distribution  of  its  contents. 
It  exhibits  three  successive  collections  of  sacred  documents :  the  first, 
formed  and  indeed  mainly  composed  by  Moses  ;  the  second,  containing 
the  earlier  and  latter  prophets,  made  in  the  time  of  Jeremiah,  and 
probably  under  his  direction,  with  the  exception  of  the  last  three  of 
the  minor  prophets,  which  were  added  to  this  class  of  writings  after- 
wards, because  they  were  strictly  prophets  of  Judah  ;  the  third,  con- 
sisting of  the  remaining  sacred  books,  and  formed  in  the  main  by 
Ezra.  This  collection  contains  two  books,  Ruth  and  Lamentations, 
which,  though  reckoned  in  the  Jewish  enumeration  of  books  as  appen- 
dages of  Judges  and  Jeremiah  respectively,  are  put  here  either  for  the 
convenience  of  being  grouped  with  the  other  three  of  the  five  rolls,  or 
because,  like  some  other  books  of  this  collection,  they  were  not  before 
formally  introduced  into  the  Canon.  The  prophet  Daniel  appears 
in  this  class,  probably,  because  he  spent  all  his  life  in  the  court  of 
Babylon. 


THE  BIBLE. 


II.  — ITS  SUBJECT. 


The  whole  Bible  Is  a  record  of  the  ways  of  God  with  man.  Hence 
it  begins  with  the  creation  of  man,  traces  the  development  and  points 
out  the  destiny  of  the  race.  In  order  to  be  so  compendious,  and  at  the 
same  time  remarkable  for  the  minuteness  of  its  details,  it  deals  largely 
in  the  enunciation  of  general  principles  and  the  statement  of  leading 
facts.  It  dwells  with  becoming  fulness  on  God's  gracious  and  merci- 
ful dealings  and  bearings  with  man.  And  hence  the  scene  of  the 
narrative,  which  at  the  beginning  was  coextensive  with  man,  gradu- 
ally narrows  to  Sheth,  to  Noah,  to  Shem,  to  Abraham,  to  Isaac,  to 
Jacob,  almost  to  Judah,  and  then  suddenly  rebounds  to  its  original 
universality  of  extent. 

The  ways  of  God  with  man  take  the  particular  form  of  a  covenant, 
A  covenant  is  an  agreement  between  two  parties,  with  conditions  to 
be  fulfilled  and  corresponding  benefits  to  be  realized  on  both  sides. 
The  very  nature  of  a  covenant  implies  that  the  parties  to  it  are  intelli- 
gent ;  and  the  very  existence  of  two  rational  beings  in  sensible  relation 
with  each  other  involves  a  covenant  expressed  or  understood.  Hence 
the  Bible  is  fittingly  termed  the  testament  or  covenant,  tesfamen- 
tum  fcedus,  SiaS-^K-q,  riii3.  It  exhibits  the  relation  between  God 
and  man,  the  essentially  intelligent  and  the  naturally  intelligent,  the 
natural  condition  of  this  great  covenant,  and  the  conduct  of  the  two 
parties  concerned.  This  covenant,  which  is  originally  a  covenant  of 
works,  securing  to  man  the  benefit  on  performance  of  the  condition, 
has  soon  to  become  a  covenant  of  grace,  guaranteeing  the  blessing, 
notwithstanding  the  breach  of  the  compact,  that  some,  at  least,  of  the 
fallen  race  may  reap  the  benefit  of  its  provisions.  It  becomes,  in  sooth, 
a  promise,  wherein  God,  the  one  party,  remaining  faithful  to  his  side 
of  the  covenant,  sees  to  it  that  it  is  upheld  in  the  integrity  of  its  re- 
wards and  even  its  conditions,  notwithstanding,  and  even  on  account 
of,  the  failure  of  the  other  party.  Hence  the  covenant  takes  a  special 
form,  the  provisions  of  which  are  narrowed  to  the  seed  of  Abraham. 
Now  the  book  of  the  covenant  at  its  opening  takes  broad  ground,  but 
in  consequence  of  the  privileges  of  Israel,  it  is  sometimes  supposed  to 
have  become  exclusive  in  its  offers  of  mercy.  This,  however,  cannot 
be  the  true  state  of  the  case,  for  two  reasons  :  First,  we  find  ourselves 


4:  INTRODUCTION. 

again  at  tlie  close  of  tlio  book  on  the  common  ground  of  all  humanity 
having  an  invitation  to  return  to  God.  And  this  very  issue  is  dis- 
tinctly expressed  in  all  the  forms  of  the  covenant  with  Abraham,  Isaac, 
and  Jacob.  Thus  it  is  written,  "  In  thee,  and  in  thy  seed,  shall  all 
the  families  of  the  earth  he  blessed"  (Gen.  xii.  3;  xxii.  18;  xxvi.  4; 
xxviii.  ]4).  Secondly,  God  never  revoked  his  covenant  with  Adam 
or  with  Noah :  it  remains  in  force  still ;  and  the  special  covenant  with 
Israel,  so  far  from  annulling  it,  was  expressly  designed  to  make  it 
available  again  for  the  whole  human  family.  The  Old  Testament, 
therefore,  maintains  its  universaliiy  throughout,  though  in  sad  succes- 
sion the  Cainites,  the  Gentiles,  the  Shemites,  the  Ishmaelites,  the 
Edomites  retired  into  forgetfulness  and  abandonment  of  that  covenant 
of  mercy  which  was  made  for  them,  and  thereby  soon  ceased  to  have  a 
place  in  the  record  of  God's  intercourse  with  man.  A  sentence  or  a 
paragraph  suffices  to  dismiss  from  notice  these  wilful  breakers  of  the 
covenant.  The  stream  of  the  narrative  is  thus  straitened,  not  in  God, 
but  in  man.  But  at  length,  by  virtue  of  the  atoning  work  of  Christ 
and  the  renewing  work  of  his  Spirit,  the  old  covenant  emerges  again 
as  the  new  covenant,  in  all  its  primeval  and  perpetual  universality,  and 
with  such  new  pov/ers  and  provisions  as  to  carry  the  offer  and  ulti- 
mately the  possession  of  salvation  to  the  whole  human  race. 


III.  — ITS   STRUCTURE. 

The  Bible  is  a  book  of  gi'owth.  It  is  a  tree  of  knowledge.  It 
grows  from  a  seed  to  a  full-sized  plant.  In  this  way  alone  is  it  suited 
to  man.  For  as  the  individual  advances  from  inlancy  to  full-grown 
manhood,  so  the  race  of  Adam  had  its  infancy,  its  boyhood,  its  man- 
hood, and  will  have  its  ripe  and  full  age.  Such  a  progress  of  the 
human  race  required  a  progressive  book  of  lessons.  Hence  we  are 
not  to  expect  every  truth  to  be  fully  revealed  in  the  earliest  books  of 
Scripture,  but  only  such  germs  of  truth  as  will  gradually  develope 
themselves  into  a  full  body  of  revealed  doctrine,  and  in  such  measure 
as  man  can  receive  and  may  require  at  each  stage  of  his  career.  The 
Bible,  therefore,  grows  not  only  in  the  continual  accessions  made  to 
its  matter,  but  also  in  the  doctrines  which  it  adds  from  time  to  time  to 


THE  BIBLE.  5 

the  system  of  sacred  trutli,  and  in  the  more  and  more  developed  state 
in  which  all  it3  doctrines  are  presented. 

The  Old  Testament  is  as  clearly  distinguished  in  point  of  matter 
from  the  New  as  in  regard  to  time.  The  one  was  closed  at  least  four 
hundred  jears  before  the  other  was  commenced.  The  former  con- 
tains an  exposition  of  the  dealings  of  God  with  man  down  to  the  times 
of  Malaki,  together  with  a  remarkable  series  of  predictions  concerning 
the  destiny  of  the  human  race,  and  especially  concerning  the  coming 
of  the  Messiah  to  accomplish  by  his  own  obedience  unto  death  the 
redemption  of  man  from  the  curse  of  sin,  and  so  eventually,  by  the 
quickening  of  his  Spirit,  raise  the  objects  of  his  redeeming  love  to  the 
light,  life,  and  liberty  of  the  children  of  God.  The  latter  records  the 
fulfilment  of  this  prophecy  by  the  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
his  standmg  in  the  stead  of  man,  rendering  a  perfect  obedience  for 
him,  undergoing  the  sentence  of  death  for  him,  rising  again  and  enter- 
ing upon  eternal  life,  and  making  all-prevalent  intercession  on  Ids  be- 
half. It  further  indicates  the  realization  of  another  set  of  predictions 
in  the  calling  and  qualifying  of  his  apostles  and  evangelists,  and  the 
reconstruction  of  lus  church  under  these  new  circumstances  in  a  new 
form  and  with  new  life  and  power  of  expansion.  It  then  opens  up 
with  greater  clearness,  in  a  new  series  of  prophetic  announcements,  the 
future  history  of  the  church,  and  especially  the  second  coming  of  the 
Messiah,  to  raise  the  dead,  judge  the  quick  and  the  dead,  and  so  close 
the  development  of  the  present  world. 

As  the  whole  Bible  is  divided  into  the  Old  and  the  New  Testaments, 
£0  the  Old  Testament  itself  naturally  falls  into  two  parts.  The  histoiy 
of  man  in  relation  with  God  is  carried  on  from  the  beginning  of  Gen- 
esis to  the  end  of  the  second  book  of  Kings,  where  it  is  brought  to  an 
end  with  an  account  of  the  downfall  of  the  last  remnant  of  the  chosen 
people.  As  the  thread  is  here  clearly  broken  off,  no  less  in  sorrow, 
indeed,  than  in  anger,  the  sacred  writer  who  recounts  the  events  sub- 
sequent to  this  point  of  time,  in  order  to  give  a  connected  view  of  the 
course  of  affairs,  goes  back  to  the  beginning  of  human  things,  and 
draws  out  another  thread  of  history,  which  is  continued  to  the  close  of 
the  Old  Testament  tunes.  This  we  have  in  the  book  of  Chronicles, 
which  begins  with  the  words,  Adam,  Sheth,  Enosh,  gives  a  rapid 
sketch  of  the  narrative  ah-eady  furnished,  with  some  additional  partic- 


6  INTRODUCTION. 

ulars,  and  then  dwells  with  great  minuteness  on  the  history  of  David's 
line  and  kingdom.  These  are  now  traced  through  the  captivity,  and  for 
some  time  after,  in  the  books  of  Ezra  and  Nehemiah,  which  form  the 
continuation  of  Chronicles.  This  new  line  of  history  is  contained  in 
the  Ilaglographa,  where  also  we  find  the  liistorical  book  of  Esther,  be- 
longing to  the  same  period.  This  may,  therefore,  be  called  the  second 
volume  of  Old  Testament  history. 

The  state  of  things  during  this  period  is  marked  by  two  chai-acter- 
istic  features, — the  dependence  of  the  people  of  God  on  a  heathen 
power,  and  the  approach  on  the  part  of  the  heathen  to  some  acknowl- 
edgment of  the  true  God.  From  the  date  of  the  captivity,  GOG  B.C., 
the  people  of  God  remained  in  subjection  to  the  univei-sal  monarchy 
of  the  day.  After  the  lapse  of  seventy  yeai^s  in  exile  they  were  per- 
mitted by  this  power  to  return  to  their  own  country,  and  govern  them- 
selves according  to  the  laws  of  their  national  polity.  Under  the 
Maccabees  they  asserted  their  independence  for  a  time  ;  but  they  were 
soon  obliged  to  seek  the  alliance  and  acknowledge  the  supremacy  of 
the  Roman  empire.  In  consequence  of  this  state  of  dependence  on 
the  one  hand  and  protection  on  the  other,  the  old  antagonism  between 
Israel  and  the  nations  was  in  some  measure  broken  down.  The 
heathen  power  was  induced  to  recognize,  to  some  extent,  the  true 
God,  and  pay  some  respect  to  his  people.  A  preparation  was  thus 
made  for  the  reception  of  the  nations  into  the  church  of  God  on  the 
advent  of  the  Messiah.  The  transactions  of  the  period,  therefore,  form 
a  moment  in  the  progress  of  things  from  the  separation  of  the  Jew 
and  the  Gentile  to  the  breaking  down  of  the  partition  between  them 
in  the  New  Testament  times.  They  are  the  natural  sequel  of  the 
unfaithfulness  of  the  peculiar  people,  and  the  meet  preparative  for  the 
calling  of  the  Gentiles. 

The  previous  portion,  again,  of  the  Old  Testament  is  naturally  and 
historically  divided  into  the  Law  and  the  Prophets.  But  these 
two  parts  are  more  closely  connected  with  each  other  than  the  whole 
which  they  compose  with  the  remainder  of  the  Old  Testament.  The 
Pentateuch  describes  the  constitution,  the  Prophets  the  development,  of 
the  people  rendered  peculiar  by  special  covenant  with  God.  They 
foi-m  a  complete  whole,  in  which  the  Pentateuch  is  the  basis,  the  early 
prophets  the  historic,  and  the  later  prophets  the  prophetic  develop- 


THE  BIBLE.  7 

ment,  until  tlie  end  corresponds  in  scope  and  grandeur  with  the  be- 
ginning. 

Of  the  Pentateuch  itself,  the  fii-st  book,  Genesis,  is  prepai-atory  to 
the  other  four.  These  record  the  groAvth  of  the  family  of  Jacob,  or 
Israel,  into  the  peculiar  people  ;  the  constitution  of  the  theocracy ;  the 
giving  of  a  code  of  laws  moral,  ritual,  and  civil ;  the  conquest  of  part 
of  the  land  promised  to  the  forefathers  of  the  nation ;  and  the  comple- 
tion of  the  institutions  and  enactments  needed  for  a  settled  condition. 
For  tliis  order  of  things  the  first  book  furnishes  the  occasion. 


IV. -ITS  STYLE. 

Another  striking  feature  of  this  literature  is  its  style.  It  is  written 
in  the  language  of  common  life.  It  was  designed  for  the  whole  race 
of  man.  In  its  earliest  period  there  was  no  philosophic  activity,  and 
therefore  no  scientific  style.  If  it  had  been  then  composed  in  a  newly- 
invented  diction,  it  would  have  had  no  intelligent  reader.  Even  in  the 
palmiest  days  of  philosophy,  a  work  in  the  philosophic  form  of  expres- 
sion would  have  been  available  only  for  a  very  limited  class  of  readers. 
Moreover,  if  the  Spirit  that  animated  the  sacred  writers  had  deviated, 
for  the  sake  of  superior  accuracy,  or  bare  literality  of  statement,  from 
the  language  of  common  life,  he  would  have  chosen,  not  the  phrase- 
ology of  philosophy,  —  which  varies  necessarily  with  the  progress  of 
discovery,  and,  philosophers  themselves  being  witnesses,  is  but  an  in- 
adequate and  provisional  vehicle  for  thought  or  truth,  —  but  the  tongue 
of  angels,  which  alone  would  have  been  adequate  to  express  the  abso- 
lute truth  of  things.  But  if  he  had  done  so,  even  the  philosophic  stu- 
dent, not  to  speak  of  the  oi'dinary  reader,  would  have  been  incompetent 
to  understand,  and  indisposed  to  accept,  a  mode  of  thought  and  speech 
So  far  transcending  the  feeble  idioms  of  his  own  mind  and  voice.  Men 
versed  in  the  dialects  of  the  schools  have  been  slow  to  make  full 
acknowledgment  of  the  necessity  and  the  wisdom  of  the  popular  style 
in  the  composition  of  the  Bible ;  and  no  small  amount  of  the  misinter- 
pretation to  which  it  has  been  exposed,  has  arisen  from  neglecting  the 
usage  of  speech  among  the  people  for  whom  it  was  -RTitten,  and  insen- 
sibly applying  to  it  a  usage  with  which  our  modern  education  has  made 


8  INTRODUCTION. 

us  familiar.     It  ought  not  to  be  forgotten  that  the  early  written  lan- 
guage of  the  Greeks  and  Romans  was  not  philosophical,  but  popular. 


v.  — ITS  AUTHOR. 

This  body  of  literature  is  unparalleled  in  the  history  of  the  world 
for  the  majesty  of  its  subject,  the  symmetry  of  its  structure,  the  har- 
mony of  its  parts,  and  the  slow  march  of  its  growth.  The  subject,  we 
have  seen,  is  the  history  of  the  dealings  of  God  with  man.  It  is  there- 
fore altogether  unique  in  its  kind.  Other  ancient  records  have  com- 
menced with  the  age  of  gods ;  but  they  have  soon  subsided  into  the 
every-day  doings  of  ordinary  mortals.  But  the  one  sacred  topic  is  here 
pursued  with  undeviating  consistency  throughout  the  whole  volume. 
Even  the  collateral  books  of  Psalms,  Proverbs,  Job,  Canticles,  and 
Ecclesiastes  contribute  to  the  elucidation  of  this  lofty  theme.  No 
other  literature  in  the  world  has  invariably  adhered  to  the  same  high 
argument.  The  wonderful  symmetry  of  its  structure  is  obvious  even 
from  the  general  analysis  we  have  now  given  of  its  contents.  But  it 
becomes  more  and  more  conspicuous  as  we  examine  more  minutely 
into  the  details  of  the  whole  fabric.  And  yet  there  is  a  native  artless- 
ness,  an  unlabored  simplicity,  in  its  mannei',  which  enhances  the  charm 
of  regularity.  It  is  not  the  starched  precision  of  dry  science  or  art, 
but  the  substantial  unity  of  nature  and  life.  The  harmony  of  parts 
which  the  Holy  Scripture  exhibits,  results  from  the  harmony  of  the 
reality  which  it  faithfully  portrays.  The  productions  of  different 
authors  are  almost  equally  different  in  their  topics ;  and  even  when 
they  expatiate  on  the  same  theme,  they  only  display  the  idiosyncrasies 
of  the  several  minds  from  which  they  proceed,  and  are  incapable  of 
being  harmonized  in  their  contents,  or  arranged  into  a  unifoi-m  system. 
Even  the  collected  works  of  a  single  human  author  are  found  to 
betray  marks  of  inconsistency,  vacillation,  and  disorder.  But  the 
truths,  which  the  Scripture  presents  in  a  natural  or  historical  form, 
have  proved  as  capable  of  methodical  treatment  and  systematic 
arrangement  as  the  facts  of  the  physical  and  metaphysical  world.  The 
gradual  advance  by  which  the  Bible  has  grown  to  its  full  maturity  is 
no  less  in  contrast  with  the  miscellaneous  accumulations  of  human  lit- 


THE  BIBLE. 


erature.  Consisting  of  sixty-six  pieces,  composed  by  no  less  than  forty 
authors,  scattered  over  a  period  of  at  least  sixteen  hundi-ed  years,  partly 
in  the  language  of  Shem,  and  partly  in  that  of  Japlieth,  among  an  eastern 
people  of  agricultural  and  pastoral  habits,  not  distinguished  for  philo- 
sophic attainments,  yet  rising  to  the  loftiest  theme  of  human  thought, 
exhibiting  at  every  stage  of  its  progress  a  uniform  plan,  and  maintain- 
ing a  constant  unanimity  of  testimony  and  doctrine,  this  volume  proves 
itself  to  be  the  result  of  no  mere  human  authorship. 

(a)  This  antecedent  indication  of  a  divine  authorship,  arising  from 
the  inspection  of  the  book  itself,  is  found  to  be  accompanied  with  all 
the  subsequent  evidences  of  the  fact,  which  are  naturally  to  be  ex- 
pected, (b)  The  uniform  testimony  of  the  honest  and  intelligent 
fathers  and  members  of  the  Chi-istian  church,  from  the  times  of  the 
apostles  down  to  the  present  day,  is  embodied  in  the  phrases,  "  Divine 
Writings,"  "  God-inspired  Writings,"  which  we  have  already  quoted 
from  Irenaeus  and  Clemens  Alexandrinus.  Gainsayers  have  ap- 
peared, and  still  do  appear,  who  take  exception  to  the  dogma  of  inspi- 
ration in  itself,  or  in  some  of  the  forms  in  which  it  has  been  presented 
by  theologians.  But,  taken  even  as  a  whole,  their  adverse  judgment 
must  be  acknowledged  to  be  of  small  account  against  the  preponderat- 
ing testimony  of  ecclesiastical  writers  of  all  ages,  (c)  This  collection 
of  Avritings  also  uniformly  claims  to  be  the  Word  of  God,  both  in  direct 
terms  and  incidental  statements.  The  Great  Prophet  and  Teacher 
says,  "  Search  the  Scriptures ;  for  in  them  ye  think  ye  have  eternal 
life:  and  they  are  they  which  testify  of  me"  (John  v.  39).  He 
opened  the  understandings  of  his  disciples,  "  that  they  might  understand 
the  Scriptures  "  (Luke  xxiv.  45).  Paul  designates  the  Old  Testa- 
ment "  the  oracles  of  God  "  (Rom.  iii.  2),  and  Peter  declares  that  "the 
prophecy  came  not  in  old  time  by  the  will  of  man,  but  holy  men  of 
God  spake  as  they  were  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost"  (2  Peter  i.  21). 
Paul  says  of  himself,  "  If  any  man  think  himself  to  be  a  pi-ophet  or 
spiritual,  let  him  acknowledge  that  the  things  that  I  v.rite  unto  you 
are  the  commandments  of  the  Lord"  (1  Cor.  xiv.  37).  And  John 
solemnly  affirms,  *'  If  any  man  shall  add  unto  these  things,  God  shall 
add  unto  him  the  plagues  that  are  written  in  this  book ;  and  if  any 
man  shall  take  away  from  the  words  of  the  book  of  this  prophecy,  God 
shall  take  away  his  part  out  of  the  book  of  life,  and  out  of  the  holy 

2 


10  INTRODUCTION. 

city,  and  from  the  things  which  are  written  in  this  book  "  (Rev,  xx, 
18,  19).  These,  and  similar  passages  out  of  this  book,  calmly  and- 
deliberately  place  us  in  a  dilemma  from  which  there  is  no  escape. 
Either  the  Scriptures  are  the  word  of  God,  or  they  are  not.  If  they 
be  not,  then  the  writers  of  these  Scriptures,  who  directly  and  indirectly 
affirm  their  divine  origin,  are  false  witnesses  ;  and  if  they  have  proved 
unworthy  of  credit  on  this  fundamental  point,  they  can  be  of  no  author- 
ity on  other  equally  important  matters.  But  neither  before  examina- 
tion, nor  after  an  examination  of  eighteen  centuries,  have  we  the 
slightest  reason  for  doubting  the  veracity  of  these  men  ;  and  their 
unanimous  evidence  is  in  favor  of  the  divine  authorship  of  the  Bible. 

(d)  All  that  we  Imve  learned  of  the  contents  of  these  books  accords 
with  their  claim  to  be  tlie  word  of  God.  The  constant  harmony  of 
their  statements,  when  fairly  interpreted,  with  one  another,  with  gene- 
ral history,  and  with  physical  and  metaphysical  truth,  affords  an  in- 
contestable proof  of  their  divine  origin.  The  statements  of  other  early 
writers  have  invariably  come  into  conflict  with  historical  or  scientific 
truth.  But,  still  further,  these  books  communicate  to  us  matters  con- 
cerning God,  the  origin  and  the  future  destiny  of  man,  which  are  of 
vital  importance  in  themselves,  and  yet  are  absolutely  beyond  the 
reach  of  human  intuition,  observation,  or  deduction.  It  is  impossible, 
therefore,  for  mere  human  beings,  apart  from  divine  instruction  and 
authority,  to  attest  these  things  to  us  at  all.  Hence  these  books,  if 
they  were  not  traceable  ultimately  to  a  Divine  Author,  would  abso- 
lutely fiiil  us  in  the  very  points  that  are  essential  to  be  known ;  namely, 
the  origin  of  our  being,  the  relation  in  which  we  stand  to  God,  and  the 
Avay  to  eternal  happiness,  on  which  neither  science  nor  history  aiTords 
us  any  light.  But  they  yield  a  clear,  definite,  and  consistent  light  and 
help,  meeting  the  very  askings  and  longings  of  our  souls  on  these  mo- 
mentous topics.  The  wonderful  way  in  which  they  convince  the  rea- 
son, probe  the  conscience,  and  apply  a  healing  balm  to  the  wounded 
spirit,  is  in  itself  an  independent  attestation  to  their  divine  origin. 

(e)  The  peculiar  structure  of  this  volume  of  writings,  the  general  ac- 
knowledgment of  the  Jewish  and  Christian  church  in  all  ages,  the 
account  wliich  it  naturally  furnishes  of  its  own  origin  and  the  nature 
of  its  contents,  are  the  sure  and  only  grounds  of  evidence  in  regard  to 
authorship  ;  and    these  concur  in  ascribing  it  to  an  ultimate   divine 


THE  BIBLE.  11 

source.  And  we  liave  only  to  add  that  there  has  not  yet  been,  and 
we  do  not  expect  there  will  be,  any  tenable  objection  to  this  vast  and 
growing  array  of  evidence. 

The  nature  of  inspiration  can  only  be  learned  from  Scripture  itself. 
To  it,  therefore,  we  apply  for  a  definition  of  this  important  term. 
The  Apostle  Paul  in  writing  to  Timothy,  a  pastor  and  teacher  in  the 
church  of  God,  makes  use  of  the  following  expressions  concerning 
ScrijDture :  To.  Upa  ypafj-ixara  ra  Bwdixevd  ere  aofjiLcraL  ecs  autTrjpiav,  and 
Hacra  ypa-(f>y}  -^eoTrveucrros  kol  w^e'Ai/Aos  Trpos  8i8acr/v(X/\ta;/.  "  The  holy 
scripta  able  to  make  thee  wise  unto  salvation,"  and  "  Every  scripture 
given  by  inspiration  of  God,  and  profitable  for  doctrine."  From  these 
expressions  we  gather  the  following  order  of  doctrine  concerning  the 
origin  and  character  of  the  Bible.  1.  It  is  given  by  inspiration  of 
God.  2.  It  is  first  holy  ;  second,  able  to  make  wise  unto  salvation  ; 
and,  third,  profitable  for  doctrine  and  other  purposes  of  edification.  In 
these  elements  of  the  doctrine  of  inspiration,  the  following  points  are 
worthy  of  remark:  1.  It  is  a  writing,  not  a  writer,  of  which  the 
character  is  here  given.  The  thing  said  to  be  inspired  is  not  that 
which  goes  into  the  mind  of  the  author,  but  that  which  comes  out  of 
his  mind  by  means  of  his  pen.  It  is  not  the  material  on  which  he  is 
to  exercise  his  mind,  but  the  result  of  that  mental  exercise  which  is 
here  characterized.  Hence  it  has  received  all  the  impress,  not  merely 
of  man  in  general,  but  even  of  the  individual  author  in  particular,  at 
the  time  when  it  is  so  designated.  It  is  that  piece  of  composition 
which  the  human  author  has  put  into  a  written  form  Avhich  is  described 
as  inspired.  This  is  the  true  warrant  for,  and  the  proper  meaning  of, 
the  phrase  verbal  inspiration.  2.  To  be  inspired  of  God,  is  to  be 
communicated  from  God,  who  is  a  spirit,  to  the  mind  of  man.  The 
modus  operandi,  mode  of  communication,  we  do  not  pretend  to  explain. 
But  the  possibility  of  such  communication  we  cannot  for  a  moment 
doubt.  The  immediate  author  of  a  merely  human  book  may  not  be 
the  ultimate  author  of  a  single  sentiment  it  contains.  He  may  have 
received  every  fact  from  trustworthy  witnesses,  who  are  after  aU  the 
real  vouchers  for  all  that  it  records.  And  the  very  merit  of  the  im- 
mediate author  may  consist  in  judiciously  selecting  the  facts,  faithfully 
adhering  to  his  authorities,  and  properly  arranging  his  materials  for 
the  desired  effect.     Analogous  to  this  is  the  divine  authorship  of  the 


12        *  INTRODUCTION. 

sacred  volume.  By  the  inspiration  of  the  Ahnighty,  the  human  author 
is  made  to  perceive  certain  things  divine  and  human,  to  select  such 
as  are  to  be  revealed,  and  to  record  these  with  fidelity  in  the  natural 
order  and  to  the  proper  end.  The  result  is  a  writing  given  by  in- 
spiration of  God,  with  all  the  peculiarities  of  man,  and  all  the  authority 
of  God.  3.  Such  a  written  revelation  is  "  holy."  The  primary  holi- 
ness of  a  writing  is  its  truth.  God's  part  in  it  secures  its  veracity  and 
credibility.  Even  man  often  tells  the  ti'uth,  where  he  is  a  disinterested 
witness ;  and  we  believe  not  only  his  sincerity,  but  his  competence. 
God,  who  cannot  lie,  is  able  to  secure  his  scribes  from  error  intentional 
or  unintentional.  The  secondary'-  holiness  of  a  writing  appears  in  the 
tAvo  following  particulars :  4.  It  is  also  "  able  to  make  wise  unto  sal- 
vation." This  refers  to  the  kind  of  truth  contained  in  the  book  of 
God.  It  is  a  revelation  of  mercy,  of  peace  on  earth  and  good-will  to 
man.  This,  at  the  same  time,  imparts  an  unspeakable  interest  to  the 
book,  and  points  out  the  occasion  warranting  the  divine  interference 
for  its  composition.  5.  It  is  also  "  profitable  for  doctrine."  It  tends 
to  holiness.  It  is  moral  as  well  as  merciful  in  its  revelations.  It  con- 
tains truth,  mercy,  and  righteousness.  It  reflects,  therefore,  the  hoH- 
ness  of  God.     It  is  in  all  respects  worthy  of  its  high  original. 


VI.  —  ITS  INTERPRETATION. 

It  is  impossible  to  forget  that  we  live  in  the  world  of  the  fall.  Hence 
it  must  needs  be  that  ciTcnces  come,  stumblings  at  certain  facts  or  doc- 
trines of  the  v/ord  of  God.  If  it  were  not  for  this,  the  business  of  in- 
terpretation would  be  comparatively  easy.  The  Bible  shines  by  its 
own  light,  and  only  needs  preservation,  translation,  and  illustration  by 
human  and  natural  history.  But  as  things  now  are,  the  art  of  inter- 
pretation presupposes  difficidtics,  even  to  the  comparatively  earnest 
and  sincere,  in  the  way  of  understanding  and  accepting  its  revelations. 
And  the  interpreter  must  not  unfrequently  allude  to  the  misconceptions 
which  he  endeavors  to  remove.  The  reader  must  not  be  surprised, 
therefore,  if,  in  a  world  of  darkness,  objections  have  occurred  to  other 
minds  which  have  never  struck  his  own.     The  aim  of  an  exposition  of 


THE  BIBLE.  13 

the  "Word  of  God  is  expressly  to  obviate  difficulties,  and  elucidate  as  far 
as  possible  the  ways  of  God  with  man.  In  the  course  of  exposition, 
therefore,  passages  that  present  obstacles  to  the  mind,  or  relate  to  the 
things  of  God,  must  be  treated  at  length,  while  those  that  are  plain  in 
themselves,  or  collateral  to  the  grand  topic,  may  almost  be  left  to  speak 
for  themselves. 

It  follov>\s,  from  this  consideration,  that  the  laws  of  interpretation,  to 
be  of  any  avail  for  the  conviction  of  men,  must  be  above  question.  It 
is  necessary,  therefore,  to  start  with  some  fundamental  fact,  broad 
enough  to  be  the  basis  of  a  system  of  exegetical  maxims.  The  Bible, 
then,  is  the  icord  of  God  concerninrj  the  ways  of  God  with  man,  put 
into  a  written  form  hj  men  during  a  period  of  sixteen  hundred  years  ; 
the  Old  Testament  in  the  Hebrew  language,  the  New  Testament  in  the 
Greek.  This  pregnant  fact  is  the  sum  of  what  we  have  already  stated 
concerning  the  Scriptures,  and  it  will  be  convenient  to  resolve  it  into 
its  elementary  parts,  in  order  to  display  the  several  gi'ounds  for  the 
general  laws  of  interpretation. 

1.  The  Bible  is  written  by  men.  This  is  admitted  on  all  hands. 
Hence  it  is  subject  to  the  ordinary  rules  of  interpretation  which  apply 
to  all  human  writings ;  not  to  rules  arbitrary  in  their  nature,  modern 
in  their  invention,  or  unexampled  in  the  days  of  the  writer.  Still  fur- 
ther, the  Bible  is  written /or  men,  and  accordingly,  in  the  language  of 
common  life,  not  in  the  special  terminology  of  science  or  art.  Hence 
the  following  rules  are  obvious : 

Rule  I.  The  usage  of  common  life  determines  the  meaning  of  a 
word  or  phrase  ;  not  that  of  philosophy. 

Rule  II.  The  usage  of  the  time  and  place  of  the  writer  determines 
the  meaning  ;  not  that  of  any  other  time  ;  not  modern  usage. 

Rule  III.  If  a  word  or  phrase  had  several  meanings,  the  context 
determines  which  it  bears  in  a  given  passage.  The  more  common 
meaning  of  the  writer's  day  is  to  be  preferred,  provided  it  suit  the  pas- 
sage ;  not  that  more  common  in  our  day. 

Rule  IV.  If  the  author  have  occasion  to  employ  a  new  word,  or  an 
old  word  in  a  new  signification,  his  definition  or  his  usage  must  deter- 
mine the  meaning  ;  not  any  other  author's  usage. 

Rule  y.     The  dkect  or  literal  sense  of  a  sentence  is  the  meaning 


14  INTEODUCTIOK 

of  the  author,  when  no  other  is  indicated  ;  not  any  figurative,  allegori- 
cal, or  mystical  meaning. 

Rule  VI.  Passages  bearing  a  direct,  literal,  or  fully  ascertained 
sense  go  to  determine  what  passages  have  another  sense  than  the  lit- 
eral, and  what  that  other  sense  is ;  not  our  ojiinions. 

2.  The  Bible  treats  of  God  in  relation  with  man.  It  is  obvious 
that  this  circumstance  will  afford  occasion  for  new  words  and  phrases, 
and  new  applications  of  the  old  ones.  It  brings  into  view  such  pecu- 
liar figures  of  speech  as  are  called  anthropomorphism  and  anthropop- 
athism.  It  gives  a  new  expansion  to  all  the  previous  rules.  It  is 
needful  to  specify  only  one  additional  rule  here,  — 

Rule  VII.  A  word,  phrase,  or  sentence  belonging  primarily  to  the 
things  of  man,  must  be  understood,  when  applied  to  the  things  of  God, 
in  a'sense  consistent  with  his  essential  nature  ;  not  in  a  sense  contra- 
dictory of  any  known  attribute  of  that  nature. 

3.  There  is  a  growth  in  the  Bible  in  two  respects.  1.  There  is  a 
growth  in  the  adding  of  document  to  document  for  at  least  sixteen  hun- 
dred years.  Hence  the  simple  or  primary  meaning  of  any  part  of 
speech  will  appear  in  the  earlier  documents ;  the  more  expanded  and 
recondite  may  come  out  only  in  the  later.  2.  There  is  a  growth  also 
in  adding  fact  to  fact,  and  truth  to  truth,  whereby  doctrines  that  at  first 
come  out  only  in  the  bud  are  in  the  end  expanded  into  full  blow.  At 
its  commencement  the  Bible  chooses  and  points  out  the  all-sufficient 
root  from  which  all  doctrine  may  germinate.  That  root  is  God.  In 
him  inhere  all  the  virtues  that  can  create  and  uphold  a  world,  and 
therefore  in  the  knowledge  of  him  are  involved  all  the  doctrines  that 
can  instruct  and  edify  the  intelligent  creature.  Hence  the  elementary 
form  of  a  doctrine  will  be  found  in  the  older  parts  of  Scripture  ;  the 
more  developed  form  in  the  later  books.  This  gives  rise  to  two  simi- 
lar rules  of  interpretation,  — 

Rule  VIII.  The  meaning  of  a  word  or  phrase  in  a  later  book  of 
Scripture  is  not  to  be  transferred  to  an  earlier  book,  unless  required 
by  the  context. 

Rule  IX.  The  form  of  a  doctrine  in  a  subsequent  part  of  the  Bi- 
ble must  not  be  taken  to  be  as  fully  developed  in  a  preceding  part 
without  the  warrant  of  usage  and  the  context. 

4.  The    Old   Testament  was  composed  in   Hebrew,  the   New   in 


THE  BIBLE.  15 

Greek.  Each  must  be  interpreted  according  to  the  genius  of  the  lan- 
guage in  which  it  was  originally  written.  The  interpreter  must  there- 
fore be  familiar  Avith  the  grammar  of  each,  in  which  the  particulars 
which  constitute  its  genius  are  gathered  into  a  system.  The  writers 
of  the  New  Testament  were,  moreover,  Hebrews  by  birth  and  habit, 
with  the  possible  exception  of  Luke.  Their  Greek  therefore  bears  a 
Hebrew  stamp  ;  and  their  words  and  phrases  are  employed  to  express 
Hebrew  things,  qualities,  customs,  and  doctrines.  Hence  they  must 
receive  much  of  their  elucidation  from  the  Hebrew  parts  of  speech  of 
which  they  are  the  intended  equivalents.  Two  rules  of  interpretation 
come  under  this  head,  — 

Rule  X.  The  sense  of  a  sentence,  and  the  relation  of  one  sentence 
to  another,  must  be  determined  according  to  the  grammar  of  the  lan- 
guage in  which  it  is  written. 

Rule  XI.  The  meaning  of  Xew  Testament  words  and  phrases 
must  be  determined  in  harmony  with  Old  Testament  usage  ;  not  by 
Greek  against  Hebrew  usage. 

5.  The  Bible  is  the  word  of  God.  All  the  other  elements  of  our 
fundamental  postulate  are  plain  on  the  surface  of  things,  and  therefore 
unanimously  admitted.  This,  however,  some  interpreters  of  the  Bible 
do  not  accept,  at  least  without  reserve.  But  notwithstanding  their  re- 
jection of  this  dogma,  such  interpreters  are  bound  to  respect  the  claims 
of  this  book  to  be  the  Word  of  God.  This  they  can  only  do  by  apply- 
ing to  its  interpretation  such  rules  as  are  fairly  deducible  from  such  a 
characteristic.  In  doing  so  they  put  themselves  to  no  disadvantage. 
They  only  give  the  claimant  a  fair  stage,  and  jiut  its  high  claim  to  a 
reasonable  test.  Now  God  is  a  God  of  truth.  His  Avord  is  truth. 
Hence  all  Scripture  must  be  consistent  with  truth  and  with  itself.  It 
contains  no  real  contradiction.     This  gives  rise  to  the  following  rules : 

Rule  XII.  All  Scripture  is  true  historically  and  metaphysically ; 
not  mythical  or  fallible. 

Rule  XIII.  In  verbally  discordant  passages  that  sense  is  to  be 
adopted  which  will  explain  or  obviate  the  discrepancy ;  not  a  sense 
that  makes  a  contradiction.  To  explain  is  positively  to  show  the  har- 
mony of  the  passage  ;  to  obviate  is  negatively  to  show  that  there  is  no 
contradiction. 

Rule  XIV.     Scripture  explains  Scripture.     Hence  the  clear  and 


16  INTRODUCTION. 

plain  passages  elucidate  the  dark  and  abstruse ;  not  anything  foreign 
to  Scripture  in  time,  place,  or  sentiment ;  not  our  philosophy. 

Rule  XV.     Of  rules  that  cross  one  another,  the  higher  sets  aside 
or  modifies  the  lower. 


VII.  —  THE  PENTATEUCH. 

I.  Its  Author.  —  The  Pentateuch  is  a  work  presenting  at  first 
sight  all  the  ordinary  marks  of  unity.  Its  five  parts  stand  in  a  natural 
relation  to  one  anothei'.  Genesis  contains  the  origin  of  the  present 
constitution  of  nature,  of  man,  of  the  Sabbath,  of  many  of  the  pri- 
mary arts  and  customs  of  human  society,  of  the  covenant  of  works,  of 
sin,  of  the  covenant  of  grace,  of  the  promise,  and  of  the  chosen 
people.  Exodus  records  the  growth  of  the  chosen  family  into  a 
nation,  the  departure  of  Israel  from  Egypt,  the  giving  of  the  law, 
the  directions  for  the  construction  of  the  tabernacle  and  its  ap- 
purtenances, and  the  carrying  of  these  directions  into  effect.  Le- 
viticus treats  of  the  ritual  under  the  heads  of  the  various  offerings, 
the  consecration  of  the  priests,  the  removal  of  uncleanness,  the 
means  of  purification,  and  the  regulations  concerning  festivals  and 
vows.  Numbers  recounts  the  first  census  of  the  people,  the  sojourn- 
ing in  the  wilderness,  the  conquest  of  the  country  east  of  the  Jordan, 
the  second  census,  and  certain  other  arrangements  preparatory  to  the 
crossing  of  the  Jordan.  Deuteronomy  contains  a  recapitulation  of  the 
great  deliverance  the  people  had  experienced,  an  admonitory  address 
to  them  by  Moses  on  the  eve  of  his  departure,  with  certain  additional 
pieces  designed  for  their  instruction  and  encouragement.  The  book  is 
then  closed  with  a  chapter  giving  an  account  of  the  death  of  Moses, 
which  is  due  to  the  continuator  of  the  sacred  history.  A  literary  work 
exhibiting  such  marks  of  connection  and  order  it  is  natural  to  ascribe 
to  one  author.  Moses  was  a  man  of  learning  (Acts  vii.  22),  a  writer 
(Exod.  xvii.  14,  xxiv.  4),  a  poet  (Exod.  xv. ;  Deut.  xxxii.),  a  law- 
giver, and  a  public  leader.  He  was  also  a  witness  and  a  chief  mover 
in  all  the  events  recounted  from  the  second  chapter  of  Exodus  to  tlie 
last  of  Deuteronomy.  It  is  therefore  antecedently  most  probable  that 
he  was  the  author  of  the  Pentateuch. 


THE  BIBLE. 


17 


Close  and  critical  examiners,  however,  of  this  work  have  found  cer- 
tain passages,  sentences,  and  words  which  seem  to  come  from  a  later 
hand.  Various  modes  of  explaining  this  appearance  have  been  adopted, 
according  to  the  circumstances  of  the  interpreter.  Either  the  divinely 
authorized  reviser,  transcriber,  and  continuator  of  the  sacred  volume, 
made,  by  the  divine  direction,  the  needful  additions  in  writing  to  the 
written  work  of  Moses,  or  the  author  must  have  been  as  late  as  the 
supposed  latest  event  or  allusion  recorded  in  the  book.  Either  of  these 
suppositions  is  possible.  But  the  antecedent  probability  is  in  favor  of 
the  former.  Apart  from  the  few  passages  which  have  the  appearance 
of  a  later  date,  the  work  remains  still  a  perfect  whole  from  the  begin- 
ning to  the  death  of  Moses,  when  it  closes.  It  is  also  expressly  affirmed 
in  the  book  itself  that  Moses  wrote  certain  parts  of  it,  if  not  the  whole 
(Exod.  xvii.  14,  xxiv.  4;  Num.  xxxiii.  2 ;  Deut.  xxxi.  9,  22,  24-26). 
Hence  the  probability  is,  that  the  whole  work,  being  complete  in  itself, 
is  the  production  of  him  to  whom  great  part  of  it  is  by  itself  ascribed. 
As  the  whole  book  is  also  the  first  part  of  a  progressive  work,  to  be 
continued  for  many  ages,  it  is  natural  that  certain  explanatory  notes 
may  have  been  inserted  by  the  direction  of  the  Divine  Author.  As 
Moses  may  have  elucidated  the  documents  that  came  down  to  him  by 
a  few  verbal  changes  and  additions,  so  may  his  continuator  have  added 
a  few  notes  of  explanation  to  his  finished  work  for  the  benefit  of  a 
later  generation.  But  the  date  of  a  work  is  that  of  the  first  edition,  so 
to  speak ;  not  that  of  its  final  retouching.  Though  an  author  may  have 
lived  to  publish  ten  editions  of  his  work,  with  slight  modifications  in 
each,  yet  the  date  of  it  is  at  least  as  far  back  as  that  of  the  first  edi- 
tion. So,  though  the  Ahnighty  may  have  employed  a  subsequent 
prophet  to  add  the  last  chapter  of  Deuteronomy,  and  insert  a  few  ex- 
planatory clauses  or  parentheses,  yet  the  book  of  the  law  is  still  to  be 
dated  from  its  first  complete  draft  by  the  original  author. 

Some  critics  also  find  discrepancies  of  statement  and  style  in  the  Pen- 
tateuch, and  have  endeavored  to  explain  these  phenomena  by  distribut- 
ing the  work  among  several  authors,  each  of  whom  contributed  his 
own  part  to  the  whole  performance.  If  tins  were  carried  merely  to 
the  extent  of  presuming  that  certain  historical  pieces  of  composition 
came  down  to  Moses,  which  he  retouched  and  fitted  into  the  first  part 
of  his  own  work,  and  that  this  again  was  retouched  by  a  subsequent 
3 


18  INTRODUCTION. 

sacred  writer,  it  could  do  no  harm,  and  miglit  be  attended  with  some 
advantage  to  the  interpretation  of  the  book.  But  the  hypothesis  that 
a  work  with  obvious  marks  of  substantial  unity  was  fabricated  out  of 
several  works  of  different  authors  and  ages  is  improbable  in  itself.  It 
rests  mainly  on  an  over-refinement  of  critical  acumen,  and  has  proved 
a  failure  in  other  instances  of  its  application.  And  it  is  unavailing  as 
a  means  of  explaining  discrepancies  of  statement,  since  it  merely  suc- 
cumbs to  these  difficulties,  leaves  them  where  it  found  them,  thinks  only 
of  adding  to  their  number  and  force,  and  simply  ascribes  their  occur- 
rence to  the  inadvertence  of  the  compiler.  This  is  a  mode  of  dealing 
with  a  work  of  antiquity  to  which  we  are  not  warranted  in  resorting, 
until  it  has  been  proved  contradictory  to  itself,  to  the  acknowledged 
facts  of  observation,  or  the  intuitive  principles  of  reason.  A  fair  ex- 
amination of  this  work  will  show  the  very  reverse  of  this  to  be  the 
fact.  It  is  the  only  key  to  the  history  of  the  human  race,  the  chief 
voucher  for  many  of  its  important  facts  ;  and  it  presents  an  astonishing 
harmony  with  its  own  statements,  and  with  the  main  deductions  of  rea- 
son and  observation  concerning  the  origin  and  nature  of  man.  The 
supposed  discrepancies  are  due  either  to  our  misconception  of  its  mean- 
ing, or  to  our  ignorance  of  the  circumstances  in  which  it  was  written. 
Such  discrepancies  can  never  affect  either  the  unity  or  the  authenticity 
of  the  work.  They  leave  in  all  its  force  the  antecedent  probability  of 
its  composition  by  Moses. 

This  probabihty  is  turned  into  an  established  certainty,  by  testimony 
of  the  most  satisfactory  kind,  as  soon  as  we  go  beyond  the  work  itself 
into  the  succeeding  portions  of  Sacred  Scripture.  In  the  very  first 
chapter  of  the  book  of  Joshua  we  read  of  the  book  of  the  law,  which 
is  plainly  ascribed  to  Moses  (i.  7,  8).  Other  references  to  the  book 
of  the  law  by  Moses  are  found  in  subsequent  passages  of  Joshua  (viii. 
31-34,  xxiii.  6,  xxiv.  26).  Similar  testimonies  are  extant  in  the 
following  books :  1  Kings  ii.  3  ;  2  Kings  xiv.  6,  xxiii.  25  ;  2  Chron. 
XXV.  4,  xxxiv.  14,  XXXV.  12  ;  Ezra  vi.  18  ;  Neh.  viii.  1,  xiii.  1. 
We  close  this  evidence  by  an  incidental  statement  of  our  Lord  after 
his  resurrection,  — "  These  are  the  words  which  I  spake  unto  you 
while  I  was  yet  with  you,  that  all  things  must  be  fulfilled  which  were 
written  in  the  laio  of  Moses,  and  in  the  prophets,  and  in  the  Psalms 
concerning    me"   (Luke  xxiv.  44).     It   is  only  needful  to  say  that 


THE  BIBLE.  19 

the  law  of  Moses  here  means  the  Pentateuch,  and  that  this  passage  is 
only  a  single  sample  out  of  the  concurrent  testimony  of  the  New  Tes- 
tament to  the  Mosaic  authorship  of  this  book. 

IL  Its  written  form.  —  The  Pentateuch  contains  six  hundred 
and  sixty-nine  r'T^ir^Q  or  paragraphs,  distinguished  into  nin^ira  open 
and  ni'wWp  closed.  Those  in  which  a  new  line  was  commenced  were 
called  open  ;  those  in  which  the  same  line  after  an  interval  was  con- 
tinued were  said  to  be  closed.  The  former  were  marked  with  a  3 
standing  in  the  space  between  the  paragraphs  ;  the  latter  with  a  O. 
These  may  be  represented  by  *![  and  §.  The  former  were  intended  to 
mark  greater  distinctions  in  the  matter ;  the  latter,  less.  The  same 
paragraph  divisions  are  also  found  in  the  prophets  and  Hagiographa. 
They  were  in  existence  anterior  to  the  Talmud,  as  they  are  noticed  in 
the  Mishna ;  while  in  the  Gemara  they  are  declared  to  be  inviolable 
rules  of  sacred  orthography,  and  ascribed  to  Moses.  According  to 
Keil,  they  may  have  proceeded  from  the  authors  of  the  sacred  books. 

Besides  these  paragraphs,  the  division  into  n^p^^CQ,  verses,  was 
found  in  the  poetical  books  from  an  early  period.  These  verses  are 
by  the  accents  subdivided  into  KwXa  and  KOfx/jbara.  In  the  oldest  MSS. 
these  verses  were  written  separately,  though  this  arrangement  has 
been  laid  aside  in  the  Masoretic  MSS.  A  similar  division  of  the  sen- 
tences in  the  other  books  is  mentioned  in  the  Mishna,  and  this  was  at 
all  events  the  foundation  of  our  present  verse  system.  This  was  first 
introduced  into  editions  of  the  Hebrew  Bible  by  Athias,  a  learned  Jew 
of  Amsterdam,  in  1661,  A.c.  It  was  adopted  in  the  Vulgate  so  early 
as  1558. 

The  present  division  into  chapters  originated  with  the  Christians  m 
the  thirteenth  century,  being  ascribed  by  some  to  Cardinal  Hugo,  by 
others  to  Stephen  Langton,  Archbishop  of  Canterbury.  It  was  first 
used  in  a  concordance  to  the  Vulgate,  and  adopted  in  the  fifteenth  cen- 
tury by  R.  Nathan  for  a  concordance  of  the  Hebrew  Bible. 

The  Pentateuch  was  also  divided  into  fifty-four  larger  parashoth  or 
lessons,  for  reading  in  the  worship  of  the  synagogue.  By  this  distri- 
bution the  whole  Pentateuch  was  read  over  at  a  section  every  Sabbath 
in  the  Jewish  intercalary  year,  which  contained  fifty-four  weeks.  In 
the  ordinary  year,  which  contained  not  more  than  fifty-one  weeks,  two 


20  INTRODUCTION. 

of  ihe  shorter  sections  were  read  together  on  several  Sabbaths  so  as  to 
crnplete  the  reading.  In  the  spaces  where  the  lesson  for  the  Sabbath 
anil  the  paragraph  end  together,  instead  of  one  S  or  'o,  as  the  case 
Diaj  be,  we  find  three  inserted. 

Corresponding  to  these  sections  of  the  law  were  the  m'lnsrt  di- 
visions or  lessons  of  the  prophets,  which  are  mentioned  in  the  Mishna. 
Elias  Levita  says  that  these  Avere  introduced  by  the  Jews,  when  An- 
tiochus  Epiphanes  forbade  the  reading  of  the  law.  This,  however,  is 
a  mere  conjecture  ;  and  it  is  more  probable  that  these  sections  were 
added  to  the  service  of  the  synagogue  in  order  to  render  it  more  com- 
plete. A  table  of  the  haphtaroth  as  well  as  the  parashoth  is  given  in 
Van  der  Hooght's  Bible  at  the  end  of  the  Ilagiographa. 

The  Masoretic  text  is  the  basis  of  the  folloAving  translation  and 
commentaiy.     Important  deviations  from  it  are  noted. 


VIII.  -  GENESIS. 

The  book  of  Genesis  is  separable  into  eleven  documents  or  pieces 
of  composition,  most  of  which  contain  other  subordinate  divisions.  The 
first  cf  these  has  no  introductory  plirase ;  the  third  begins  xfith.  ^30  r.t 
ThhiVi  '  tills  is  the  book  of  the  generations  ; '  and  the  others  with 
ninbin  tnlx  'these  are  the  generations.' 

The  subordinate  pieces,  however,  of  which  these  primary  documents 
consist,  are  as  distinct  from  each  other,  as  complete  in  themselves,  and 
as  clearly  owing  each  to  a  separate  effort  of  the  composer,  as  the 
wholes  which  they  go  to  constitute.  The  history  of  the  fall.  Gen.  iii., 
the  family  of  Adam,  iv.,  the  description  of  the  vices  of  the  antedilu- 
vians, vi.  1-8,  and  the  confusion  of  tongues,  xi.  1-9,  are  as  dis- 
tinct efforts  of  composition,  and  as  perfect  in  themselves,  as  any  of  the 
primary  divisions.  The  same  holds  good  throughout  the  entire  book. 
Even  these  subordinate  pieces  contain  still  smaller  passages,  having  an 
exact  and  self-contained  finish,  which  enables  the  critic  to  lift  them  out 
and  examine  them,  and  makes  him'  wonder  if  they  have  not  been  in- 
serted in  the  document  as  in  a  mould  previously  fitted  for  their  recep- 
tion. The  memoranda  of  each  day's  creative  work,  of  the  locality  of 
Paradise,  of  each  link  in  the  genealogy  of  Noah  and  of  Abraham,  are 


THE  BIBLE.  21 

striking  examples  of  this.     They  sit,  each  in  the  narrative,  like  a  stone 
in  its  setting. 

Whether  these  primary  documents  were  originally  composed  by 
Moses,  or  came  into  his  hands  from  earlier  sacred  writers,  and  were 
by  him  revised  and  combined  into  his  great  work,  we  are  not  informed. 
By  revising  a  sacred  writing,  we  mean  replacing  obsolete  or  otherwise 
unknown  words  or  modes  of  writing  by  such  as  were  in  common  use 
in  the  time  of  the  reviser,  and  putting  in  an  explanatoiy  clause  or 
passage  when  necessary  for  the  men  of  a  later  day.  The  latter  of  the 
above  suppositions  is  not  inconsistent  with  Moses  being  reckoned  the 
responsible  author  of  the  whole  collection.  We  hold  it  to  be  more 
natural,  satisfactory,  and  accordant  with  the  phenomena  of  Scripture. 
It  is  satisfactory  to  have  the  recorder,  if  not  an  eye-witness,  yet  as 
near  as  possible  to  the  events  recorded.  And  it  seems  to  have  been  a 
part  of  the  method  of  the  Divine  Author  of  the  Scripture  to  have  a 
constant  collector,  conservator,  authenticator,  reviser,  and  continuator 
of  that  book  which  he  designed  for  the  spiritual  instruction  of  succes- 
sive ages.  We  may  disapprove  of  one  writer  tampering  with  the 
work  of  another  ;  but  we  must  allow  the  Divine  Author  to  adapt  liis 
own  work,  from  time  to  time,  to  the  necessities  of  coming  generations. 
This  implies,  however,  that  writing  was  in  use  from  the  origin  of 
man. 

We  are  not  able  to  say  when  writing  of  any  kind  was  invented,  or 
when  syllabic  or  alphabetic  writing  came  into  use.  But  we  meet  with 
the  word  ISO  stpher,  a  writing,  from  which  we  have  our  English 
cipher,  so  early  as  the  fifth  chapter  of  Genesis.  And  many  things 
encourage  us  to  presume  a  very  early  invention  of  writing.  It  is,  after 
all,  only  another  form  of  speech,  another  effort  of  the  signing  faculty 
in  man.  Why  may  not  the  hand  gesticulate  to  the  eye,  as  well  as  the 
tongue  articulate  to  the  ear  ?  We  beheve  the  former  was  concurrent 
with  the  latter  in  early  speech,  as  it  is  in  the  speech  of  all  lively  na- 
tions to  the  present  day.  We  have  only  another  step  to  writing.  Let 
the  gestures  of  the  hand  take  a  permanent  form  by  being  carved  in 
lines  on  a  smooth  surface,  and  we  have  a  written  character. 

This  leads  us  to  the  previous  question  of  human  speech.  Was  it  a 
gradual  acquisition  after  a  period  of  brute  silence  ?  Apart  from  his- 
tory, we  argue  it  was  not.     We  conceive  that  speech  leaped  at  once 


22  INTRODUCTION. 

from  tlie  brain  of  man  a  perfect  thing,  —  perfect  as  the  new-born  in- 
fant, —  yet  capable  of  growth  and  development.  This  has  been  the 
case  with  all  inventions  and  discoveries.  The  pressing  necessity  has 
come  upon  the  fitting  man,  and  he  has  given  forth  a  complete  idea, 
which  after  ages  can  only  develope.  The  Bible  record  confirms  this 
theory.  Adam  comes  to  be,  and  then  by  the  force  of  his  native  genius 
speaks.  And  in  primitive  times  we  have  no  doubt  the  hand  moved  as 
well  as  the  tongue.     Hence  we  hear  so  soon  of  "  the  book." 

2.  On  the  supposition  that  writing  was  known  to  Adam,  Gen,  i.-iv., 
containing  the  first  two  of  these  documents,  formed  the  Bible  of  Adam's 
descendants,  or  the  antediluvians.  Gen.  i.-xi.  9,  being  the  sum  of 
these  two  and  the  following  three,  constitutes  the  Bible  of  the  descend- 
ants of  Noah.  The  whole  of  Genesis  may  be  called  the  Bible  of  the 
posterity  of  Jacob ;  and,  we  may  add,  that  the  five  books  of  the  law, 
of  which  the  last  four  at  least  are  immediately  due  to  MosBs,  were  the 
first  Bible  of  Israel  as  a  nation. 

3.  Genesis  is  purely  a  historical  work.  It  serves  as  the  narrative 
preamble  to  the  legislation  of  Moses.  It  possesses,  however,  a  much 
higher  and  broader  interest  than  this.  It  is  the  first  volume  of  the 
history  of  man  in  relation  with  God.  It  consists  of  a  main  line  of 
narrative,  and  one  or  more  collateral  lines.  The  main  line  is  continu- 
ous, and  relates  to  the  portion  of  the  human  race  that  remains  in  com- 
munication with  God.  Side  by  side  with  this  is  a  broken  line,  or 
rather  several  successive  lines,  which  are  linked  on,  not  to  one  an- 
other, but  to  the  main  line.  Of  these,  two  come  out  in  the  primary 
documents  of  Genesis;  namely.  Gen.  xxv.  12-18,  and  Gen.  xxxvi., 
containing  the  respective  records  of  Ishmael  and  Esau.  When  these 
are  placed  side  by  side  with  those  of  Isaac  and  Jacob,  the  stages  in 
the  main  line  of  narrative  are  found  to  be  nine,  or  two  less  than  the 
primitive  documents. 

These  great  lines  of  narrative,  in  like  manner,  include  minor  lines, 
whenever  the  history  falls  into  several  threads,  which  must  all  be  taken 
up  one  after  another,  in  order  to  carry  on  the  whole  concatenation  of 
events.  These  come  out  in  paragraphs,  and  even  shorter  passages, 
which  necessarily  overlap  one  another  in  point  of  time.  The  striking 
peculiarity  of  Hebrew  composition  is  aptly  illustrated  by  the  successive 
links  in  the  genealogy  of  the  fifth  chapter,  where  the  life  of  one  patri- 


THE  BIBLE. 


23 


arch  is  brought  to  a  close  before  that  of  the  next  is  taken  up,  though 
they  actually  run  parallel  for  the  greater  part  of  the  predecessor's  life. 
It  furnishes  a  key  to  much  that  is  difficult  in  the  narrative. 

4.  This  book  is  naturally  divided  into  two  great  parts,  —  the  first  nar- 
rating the  creation ;  the  second,  the  development  of  the  things  created 
from  the  beginning  to  the  deaths  of  Jacob  and  Joseph. 

The  first  part  is  equal  in  value  to  the  whole  record  of  what  may 
take  place  to  the  end  of  time,  and  therefore  to  the  whole  of  the  Bible, 
not  only  in  its  historical,  but  in  its  prophetical  aspect.  A  created  sys- 
tem of  things  contains  in  its  bosom  the  whole  of  that  which  may  be 
unfolded  from  it. 

The  second  great  part  of  Genesis  consists  of  two  main  divisions,  — ^ 
the  one  detailing  the  course  of  events  before  the  deluge,  the  other  after 
it.  These  divisions  may  be  distributed  into  sections  in  the  following 
way :  The  stages  of  the  narrative  marked  off  in  the  primary  docu- 
ments are  nine  ;  in  consequence,  however,  of  the  transcendent  impor- 
tance of  the  primeval  events,  we  have  broken  up  the  second  document 
into  three  sections,  and  the  fourth  into  two,  and  have  thus  divided  the 
contents  of  the  book  into  twelve  great  sections.  All  these  matters  of 
arrangement  are  set  forth  to  view  in  the  following 

TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


SECTIONS. 

I.   Creation.       I.  Creation, 
II.  The  Man, 

III.  The  Fall, 

IV.  The  Race, 
V.  Line  to  Noah, 

VI.  The  Delu-e, 
VII.  The  Covenant, 
VIII.  The  Nations, 
IX.  Line  to  Abram, 
X.  Abraham, 

XI.  Isaac, 
XII.  Jacob, 


■   ^ 

^    . 

f^ 

o 

S; 

P 

w 

1 

s  ■ 

"3 

fH 

Q 

> 

a>     . 

a 

.3 

fi 

*3 

§. 

I  < 

CnAPTEES. 

i.-ii.  3. 
ii.  4-25. 


v.-vi.  8. 

vi.  9-viii. 

ix. 

x.-xi.  9. 

xi.  10-26. 

xi.  27-xxv.  11. 
:  XXV.  12-18. 
:  XXXV.  19-xxv. 
1  xxxvi. 
'  xxxvii.-l. 


DOCUMENTS. 
I. 


II. 


III. 

IV. 

V. 
VL 
VII. 
VIII. 
IX. 
X. 
XI. 


COMMEl^TARY. 


PART    I. 
SECTION  I. —  THE   CEEATION. 

I.    TUE  ABSOLUTE  CKEATION.  — Gen.  i.l. 

r^i^'xn  head-part,  leginninrj,  of  a  thing,  in  point  of  time  (Gen.  x. 
10),  or  value  (Prov.  i.  7).  Its  opposite  is  r"'"inx  (Isa.  xlvi.  10). 
r\''TlJX'ns  in  the  leginning,  is  always  used  in  reference  to  time.  Here 
only  is  it  taken  absolutely. 

N'^S  create,  give  being  to  something  neiv.  It  has  God  always  for  its 
subject.  Its  object  may  be  anything:  matter  (Gen.  i.  1)  ;  animal  life 
(Gen.  i.  21)  ;  spiritual  life  (Gen.  i.  27).  Hence  creation  is  not  con- 
fined to  a  single  point  of  time.  "Whenever  anything  absolutely  new  — 
that  is,  not  involved  in  anything  previously  extant  —  is  called  into  exist- 
ence, there  is  creation  (Num.  xvi.  30).  Any  thing  or  event  also  may 
be  said  to  be  created  by  Him,  who  created  the  whole  system  of  nature 
to  which  it  belongs  (Mai.  ii.  10).  The  verb  in  its  simple  form  occurs 
forty-eight  times  (of  which  eleven  are  in  Genesis,  fourteen  in  the 
whole  Pentateuch,  and  twenty-one  in  Isaiah),  and  always  in  one  sense. 

Diii''bs.  God.  The  noun  ni?x  or  W^x  is  found  in  the  Hebrew  scrip- 
tures fifty-seven  times  in  the  singular  (of  which  two  are  in  Deuteron- 
omy, and  forty-one  in  the  book  of  Job),  and  about  three  thousand  times 
in  the  plural,  of  which  seventeen  are  in  Job.  The  Chaldee  form  R;x 
occurs  about  seventy-four  times  in  the  singular,  and  ten  in  the  plural. 
The  letter  n  is  proved  to  be  radical,  not  only  by  bearing  mappiq,  but 
also  by  keeping  its  ground  before  a  formative  ending.  The  Arabic 
verb,  with  the  same  radicals,  seems  rather  to  borrow  from  it  than  to 
lend  the  meaning  cohiit,  ivorshipped,  which  it  sometimes  has.  The  root 
probably  means  to  be  lasting,  binding,  firm,  strong.  Hence  the  noun 
means  the  Everlasting,  and  in  the  plural,  the  Eternal  Powers.  It  is 
correctly  rendered  God,  the  name  of  the  Eternal  and  Supreme  Being 
4 


26 


THE  ABSOLUTE  CREATION. 


in  our  language,  which  perhaps  originally  meant  lord  or  ruler.  And, 
like  this,  it  is  a  common  or  appellative  noun.  This  is  evinced  by  its 
direct  use  and  indirect  applications. 

Its  direct  use  is  either  proper  or  improper,  according  to  the  object 
to  which  it  is  applied.  Every  instance  of  its  proper  use  manifestly  de- 
termines its  meaning  to  be  the  Eternal,  the  Almighty,  who  is  himself 
without  beginning,  and  has  within  himself  the  power  of  causing  other 
things,  personal  and  impersonal,  to  be,  and  on  this  event  is  the  sole 
object  of  reverence  and  primary  obedience  to  his  intelligent  creation. 

Its  improper  use  arose  from  the  lapse  of  man  into  false  notions  of 
the  object  of  worship.  Many  i-eal  or  imaginary  beings  came  to  be 
regarded  as  possessed  of  the  attributes,  and  therefore  entitled  to  the 
reverence  belonging  to  Deily,  and  were  in  consequence  called  gods  by 
their  mistaken  votaries,  and  by  others  who  had  occasion  to  speak  of 
them.  This  usage  at  once  proves  it  to  be  a  common  noun,  and  corro- 
borates its  proper  meaning.  When  thus  employed,  however,  it  imme- 
diately loses  most  of  its  inherent  grandeur,  and  sometimes  dwindles 
down  to  the  bare  notion  of  the  supernatural  or  the  extramundane.  In 
this  manner  it  seems  to  be  applied  by  the  witch  of  Endor  to  the  unex- 
pected apparition  that  presented  itself  to  her  (1  Sam.  xxviii.  13). 

Its  indirect  applications  point  with  equal  steadiness  to  this  primary 
and  fundamental  meaning.  Thus  it  is  employed  in  a  relative  and 
well-defined  sense  to  denote  one  appointed  of  God  to  stand  in  a  cer- 
tain divine  relation  to  another.  This  relation  is  that  of  authoritative 
revealer  or  administrator  of  the  will  of  God.  Thus  we  are  told  (John 
X.  34)  that  "he  called  them  gods,  to  whom  the  word  of  God  came." 
Thus  Moses  became  related  to  Aaron  as  God  to  his  prophet  (Exod. 
iv.  16),  and  to  Pharaoh  as  God  to  his  creature  (Exod.  vii.  1).  Ac- 
cordingly, in  Ps.  Ixxxii.  6,  we  find  this  principle  generalized  :  "/had 
said,  gods  are  ye,  and  sons  of  the  Highest  all  of  you."  Here  the 
divine  authority  vested  in  Moses  is  expressly  recognized  in  those  who 
sit  in  Moses'  seat  as  judges  for  God.  They  exercised  a  function  of 
God  among  the  people,  and  so  were  in  God's  stead  to  them.  Man, 
indeed,  was  originally  adapted  for  ruling,  being  made  in  the  image  of 
God,  and  commanded  to  have  dominion  over  the  inferior  creatures. 
The  parent  also  is  instead  of  God  in  some  respect  to  his  children,  and 
the  sovereign  holds  the  relation  of  patriarch  to  his  subjects.  Still, 
however,  we  are  not  fully  warranted  in  translating  Q'^I^'^X  judges  in 
Exod.  xxi.  0,  xxii.  7,  8,  27  (8,  9,  28),  because  a  more  easy,  exact, 
and  impressive  sense  is  obtained  from  the  proper  rendering. 


GEN.  I.  1.  £7 

The  word  T\^)^  angel,  as  a  relative  or  official  term,  is  sometimes 
applied  to  a  person  of  the  Godhead ;  but  the  process  is  not  reversed. 
The  Seventy  indeed  trnnslate  dTi'^x  in' several  instances  by  ayyeAot  (Ps* 
viii.  G;  xcvii.  7;  cxxxviii.  1).  The  correctness  of  this  is  seemingly 
supported  by  the  quotations  in  Hcb.  i.  6.  and  ii.  7.  These,  however, 
do  not  imply  that  the  renderings  are  absolutely  correct,  but  only  suffi- 
ciently so  for  the  purpose  of  the  writer.  And  it  is  evident  they  are  so, 
because  the  original  is  a  highly  imaginative  figure,  by  which  a  class  is 
conceived  to  exist,  of  which  in  reality  only  one  of  the  kind  is  or  can 
be.  Now  the  Seventy,  either  imagining,  from  the  occasional  applica- 
tion of  the  official  term  '  angel '  to  God,  that  the  angelic  office  somehow 
or  sometimes  involved  the  divine  nature,  or  viewing  some  of  the  false 
gods  of  the  heathen  as  really  angels,  and  therefore  seemingly  wishing 
to  give  a  literal  turn  to  the  figure,  substituted  the  word  ayyeXot  as  an 
interpretation  for  n-ri'-JS,  This  free  translation  v/as  sufficient  for  the 
purpose  of  the  inspired  author  of  the  epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  inasmuch 
as  the  worship  of  all  angels  (Ileb.  i.  G)  in  the  Septuagint  sense  of  the 
term  was  that  of  the  highest  rank  of  dignitaries  under  God ;  and  the 
argument  in  the  latter  passage  (Heb.  ii.  7)  turns  not  on  the  words, 
"  thou  madest  him  a  little  lower  than  the  angels,"  but  upon  the  sen- 
tence, "  thou  hast  put  all  things  under  his  feet."  Moreover,  the  Sev- 
enty are  by  no  means  consistent  in  this  rendering  of  the  word  in  similar 
passages  (see  Ps.  Ixxxii.  1,  xcvii.  1  ;  1  Sam.  xxviii.  13). 

With  regard  to  the  use  of  the  word,  it  is  to  be  observed  that  the 
plural  of  the  Chaldee  form  is  uniformly  plural  in  sense.  The  English 
version  of  "pnbx—ia  the  Son  of  God  (Dan.  iii.  2.3)  is  the  only  excep- 
tion to  this.  But  as  it  is  the  phrase  of  a  heathen,  the  real  meaning 
may  be,  a  son  of  the  gods.  On  the  contrary,  the  plural  of  the  Hebrev/ 
form  is  generally  employed  to  denote  tl  e  one  God.  The  singular 
form,  when  applied  to  the  true  God,  is  naturally  suggested  by  the 
prominent  thought  of  his  being  the  only  one.  The  plural,  when  so 
applied,  is  generally  accompanied  with  singular  conjuncts,  and  conveys 
the  predominant  conception  of  a  plurality  in  the  one  God,  —  a  plu- 
rality which  must  be  perfectly  consistent  with  his  being  the  only  pos- 
sible one  of  his  kind.  The  explanations  of  this  use  of  the  plural  — 
namely,  that  it  is  a  relic  of  polytheism,  that  it  indicates  the  association 
of  the  angels  with  the  one  God  in  a  common  or  collective  appellation, 
and  that  it  expresses  the  multiplicity  of  attributes  subsisting  in  him  — 
are  not  satisfactory.  All  we  can  say  is,  that  it  indicates  such  a  \)\\x- 
rality  in  the  only  one  God  as  makes  his  nature  complete  and  creation 


28 


THE  ABSOLUTE  CREATION. 


possible.  Such  a  plurality  in  unity  must  have  dawned  upon  the  mind 
of  Adam.  It  is  afterwards,  we  conceive,  definitely  revealed  in  the 
doctrine  of  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost. 

D'^:sd  sides,  heavens,  being  the  high  (lad  he  high,  Arab.)  or  the 
airy  region  ;  the  overarching  dome  of  space,  with  all  its  revolving 
orbs. 

"J^nst  land,  earth,  the  low  or  the  hard.  The  underlying  surface  of 
land. 

The  verb  is  in  the  perfect  form,  denoting  a  completed  act.  The 
adverbial  note  of  time,  "  in  the  beginning,"  determines  it  to  belong  to 
the  past.  To  suit  our  idiom  it  may,  therefore,  be  strictly  rendered 
"had  created."  The  skies  and  the  land  are  the  universe  divided  into 
its  two  natural  parts  by  an  earthly  spectator.  The  absolute  beginning 
of  time,  and  the  creation  of  all  things,  mutually  determine  each  other. 

I.  1.  In  the  beginning  had  God  created  the  heavens  and 
the  earth. 

This  great  introductory  sentence  of  the  book  of  God  is  equal  in 
weight  to  the  whole  of  its  subsequent  communications  concerning  the 
kingdom  of  nature. 

It  assumes  the  existence  of  God ;  for  it  is  he  who  in  the  beginning 
creates.  It  assumes  bis  eternity  ;  for  lie  is  before  all  things :  and  as 
nothing  comes  from  nothing,  he  himself  must  have  always  been.  It 
implies  his  omnipotence;  for  he  creates  the  universe  of  things.  It 
implies  his  absolute  freedom ;  for  he  begins  a  new  course  of  action. 
It  implies  his  infinite  wisdom ;  for  a  /cosmos,  an  order  of  matter  and 
mind,  can  only  come  from  a  being  of  absolute  intelligence.  It  implies 
his  essential  goodness ;  for  the  Sole,  Eternal,  Almighty,  All-wise,  and 
All-suflicient  Being  has  no  reason,  no  motive,  and  no  capacity  for  evil. 
It  presumes  him  to  be  beyond  all  limit  of  time  and  place ;  as  he  is 
before  all  time  and  place. 

It  asserts  the  creation  of  the  heavens  and  the  earth ;  that  is,  of  the 
universe  of  mind  and  matter.  This  creating  is  the  omnipotent  act  of 
giving  existence  to  things  which  before  had  no  existence.  This  is  the 
first  great  mystery  of  things  ;  as  the  end  is  the  second.  Natural  sci- 
ence observes  things  as  they  are,  when  they  have  already  laid  hold  of 
existence.  It  ascends  into  the  past  as  far  as  observation  will  reach, 
and  penetrates  into  the  future  as  far  as  experience  will  guide.     But  it 


GEX.  I.  1.  29 

does  not  touch  the  beginning  or  tlic  end.  This  first  sentence  of  revela- 
tion, however,  records  the  beginning.  At  the  same  time  it  involves 
the  progressive  development  of  that  which  is  begun,  and  so  contains 
within  its  bo:=om  the  whole  of  what  is  revealed  in  the  book  of  God.  It 
is  thus  historical  of  the  beginning,  and  prophetical  of  the  whole  of  time. 
It  is,  therefore,  equivalent  to  all  the  rest  of  revelation  taken  together, 
which  merely  records  the  evolutions  of  one  sphere  of  creation,  and 
nearly  and  more  nearly  anticipates  the  end  of  present  things. 

This  sentence  assumes  the  being  of  God,  and  asserts  the  beginning 
of  things.  Hence  it  intimates  that  the  existence  of  God  is  more  im- 
mediately patent  to  the  reason  of  man  than  the  creation  of  the  universe. 
And  this  is  agreeable  to  the  philosophy  of  things  ;  for  the  existence 
of  God  is  a  necessary  and  eternal  truth,  more  and  more  self-evident  to 
the  intellect  as  it  rises  to  maturity.  But  the  beginning  of  things  is,  by 
its  very  nature,  a  contingent  event,  which  once  was  not  and  then  came 
to  be  contingent  on  the  free  will  of  the  Eternal,  and,  therefore,  not 
evident  to  reason  itself,  but  made  known  to  the  understanding  by  tes- 
timony and  the  reality  of  things.  This  sentence  is  the  testimony,  and 
the  actual  world  in  us  and  around  us  is  the  reality.  Faith  takes 
account  of  the  one,  observation  of  the  other. 

It  bears  on  the  very  face  of  it  the  indication  that  it  was  written  by 
man,  and  for  man ;  for  it  divides  all  things  into  the  heavens  and  the 
earth.  Such  a  division  evidently  suits  those  only  who  are  inhabitants 
of  the  earth.  Accordingly,  tliis  sentence  is  the  foundation-stone  of  the 
history,  not  of  the  universe  at  large,  of  the  sun,  of  any  other  planet, 
but  of  the  earth,  and  of  man  its  rational  inhabitant.  The  primeval 
event  which  it  records  may  be  far  distant,  in  point  of  time,  from  the 
next  event  in  such  a  history ;  as  the  earth  may  have  existed  myriads 
of  ages,  and  undergone  many  vicissitudes  in  its  condition,  before  it 
became  the  home  of  the  human  race.  And,  for  ought  we  know,  the 
history  of  other  planets,  even  of  the  solar  system,  may  yet  be  unwritten, 
because  there  has  been  as  yet  no  rational  inhabitant  to  compose  or 
peruse  the  record.  We  have  no  intimation  of  the  interval  of  time  that 
elapsed  between  the  beginning  of  things  narrated  in  this  prefatory 
sentence  and  that  state  of  tilings  which  is  announced  in  the  following 
verse. 

With  no  less  clearness,  however,  does  it  show  that  it  was  dictated  by 
superhuman  knowledge.  For  it  records  the  beginning  of  things  of 
which  natural  science  can  take  no  cognizance.  Man  observes  certain 
laws  of  nature,  and,  guided  by  these,  may  trace  the  current  of  physical 


30  THE  ABSOLUTE  CREATION. 

events  backwards  and  forwards,  but  without  being  able  to  fix  any  limit 
to  the  course  of  nature,  in  either  direction.  And  not  only  this  sentence, 
but  the  main  part  of  this  and  the  following  chapter  communicates 
events  that  occurred  before  man  made  his  appearance  on  the  stage  of 
things ;  and  therefore  before  he  could  either  witness  or  record  them. 
And  in  harmony  with  all  this,  the  whole  volume  is  proved  by  the  topics 
chosen,  the  revelations  made,  the  views  entertained,  the  ends  contem- 
plated, and  the  means  of  information  possessed,  to  be  derived  from  a 
higher  source  than  man. 

This  simple  sentence  denies  atheism ;  for  it  assumes  the  being  of 
God.  It  denies  polytheism,  and,  among  its  vai'ious  forms,  the  doc- 
trine of  two  eternal  principles,  the  one  good  and  the  other  evil ;  for  it 
confesses  the  one  Eternal  Creator.  It  denies  materialism  ;  for  it  asserts 
the  creation  of  matter.  It  denies  pantheism ;  for  it  assumes  the  ex- 
istence of  God  before  all  things,  and  apart  from  them.  It  denies  fatal- 
ism ;  for  it  involves  the  freedom  of  the  Eternal  Being. 

It  indicates  the  relative  superiority,  in  point  of  magnitude,  of  the 
heavens  to  the  earth,  by  giving  the  former  the  first  place  in  the  order 
of  words.  It  is  thus  in  accordance  with  the  first  elements  of  astronom- 
ical science. 

It  is  therefore  pregnant  with  physical  and  metaphysical,  with  ethical 
and  theological  instruction  for  the  first  man,  for  the  predecessors  and 
contemporaries  of  Moses,  and  for  aU  the  succeeding  generations  of 
mankind. 

This  verse  forms  an  integral  part  of  the  narrative,  and  not  a  mere 
heading  as  some  have  imagined.  This  is  abundantly  evident  from  the 
following  reasons  :  1.  It  has  the  form  of  a  narrative,  not  of  a  super- 
scription. 2.  The  conjunctive  particle  connects  the  second  verse  with 
it ;  which  could  not  be  if  it  were  a  heading.  3.  The  very  next  sen- 
tence speaks  of  the  earth  as  already  in  existence,  and  therefore  its 
creation  must  be  recorded  in  the  first  verse.  4.  In  the  first  verse  the 
heavens  take  precedence  of  the  earth ;  but  in  the  following  verses  all 
things,  even  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars  seem  to  be  but  appendages  to 
the  earth.  Thus,  if  it  were  a  heading,  it  would  not  correspond  with 
the  narrative.  5.  If  the  first  verse  belong  to  the  narrative,  order  per- 
vades the  whole  recital ;  whereas,  if  it  be  a  heading,  the  most  hope- 
less confusion  enters.  Light  is  called  into  being  before  the  sun,  moon, 
and  stars.  The  earth  takes  precedence  of  the  heavenly  luminaries. 
The  stars,  which  are  co-ordinate  with  the  sun,  and  pre-ordiuatc  to  the 
moon,  occupy  the  third  place  in  the  narrative  of  their  manifestation. 


GEN.  I.  1.  31 

For  any  or  all  of  these  reasons  it  is  obvious  that  the  first  verse  forms 
a  part  of  the  narrative. 

As  soon  as  it  is  settled  that  the  narrative  begins  in  the  first  verse, 
another  question  comes  up  for  determination ;  namely,  whether  the 
heavens  here  mean  the  heavenly  bodies  that  circle  in  their  courses 
through  the  realms  of  space,  or  the  mere  space  itself  which  they  occupy 
with  their  perambulations.  It  is  manifest  that  the  heavens  here  denote 
the  heavenly  orbs  themselves,  —  the  celestial  mansions  with  their  exist- 
ing inhabitants,  —  for  the  following  cogent  reasons  :  1.  Creation  implies 
something  created,  and  not  mei-e  space,  which  is  nothing,  and  cannot 
be  said  to  be  created.  2.  As  the  earth  here  obviously  means  the  sub- 
stance of  the  planet  we  inhabit,  so,  by  parity  of  reason,  the  heavens 
must  mean  the  substance  of  the  celestial  luminaries,  the  heavenly  hosts 
of  stars  and  spirits.  3.  The  heavens  are  placed  before  the  earth,  and 
therefore  must  mean  that  reality  which  is  greater  than  the  earth  ;  for 
if  they  meant  space,  and  nothing  real,  they  ought  not  to  be  before  the 
earth.  4.  The  heavens  are  actually  mentioned  in  the  verse,  and  there- 
fore must  mean  a  real  thing  ;  for  if  they  meant  nothing  at  all,  they  ought 
not  to  be  mentioned.  5.  The  heavens  must  denote  the  heavenly  realities, 
because  this  imparts  a  rational  order  to  the  whole  chapter  ;  whereas  an 
unaccountable  derangement  appears  if  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars  do  not 
come  into  existence  till  the  fourth  day,  though  the  sun  is  the  centre  of 
light  and  the  measurer  of  the  daily  period.  For  any  or  all  of  these 
reasons,  it  is  undeniable  that  the  heavens  in  the  first  verse  mean  the 
fixed  and  planetary  orbs  of  space ;  and,  consequently,  that  these  un- 
counted tenants  of  the  skies,  along  with  our  own  planet,  are  all  declared 
to  be  in  existence  before  the  commencement  of  the  six  days'  creation. 

Hence  it  appears  that  the  first  verse  records  an  event  antecedent  to 
those  described  in  the  subsequent  verses.  This  is  the  absolute  and 
aboriginal  creation  of  the  heavens  and  all  that  in  them  is,  and  of  the 
earth  in  its  primeval  state.  The  former  includes  all  those  resplendent 
spheres  which  are  spread  before  the  wondering  eye  of  man,  as  well  as 
tliose  hosts  of  planets  and  of  spiritual  and  angelic  beings  which  are 
beyond  the  range  of  his  natural  vision.  This  brings  a  simple  and 
unforced  meaning  out  of  the  wliole  chapter,  and  discloses  a  beauty  and 
a  harmony  in  the  narrative  which  no  other  interpretation  can  afford. 
In  this  way  the  subsequent  verses  reveal  a  new  effort  of  creative  power, 
by  which  the  pre-adamic  earth,  in  the  condition  in  v»^hich  it  appears  in 
the  second  verse,  is  fitted  up  for  the  residence  of  a  fresh  animal  crea- 
tion, including   the   human  race.     The   process  is  represented   as  it 


32  THE  LAOT). 

would  appear  to  primeval  man  iu  liis  infantile  simplicity,  with  whom 
his  own  position  would  naturally  be  the  fixed  point  to  which  every- 
thina:  else  was  to  be  referred. 


II.    THE  LAND.  -  Gen.  i.  2. 

r;^!i  he.  It  is  to  be  noted,  however,  that  the  word  has  three  mean- 
ings, two  of  which  now  scarcely  belong  to  our  English  be.  1.  Be,  as 
an  event,  start  into  heing,  begin  to  he,  come  to  pass.  This  may  be 
understood  of  a  thing  beginning  to  be,  "niX  '^in'i  he  light ;  or  of  an  event 
taking  place,  d^^^  yis^  in";l  and  it  came  to  pass  from  the  end  of  days. 
2.  Be,  as  a  change  of  state,  become.  This  is  applied  to  that  which  had 
a  previous  existence,  but  undergoes  some  change  in  its  jiroperties  or 
relations  ;  as  Wyq  ^''25  ''(".tnl  and  she  became  a  pillar  of  salt.  3.  Be,  as  a 
state.  This  is  the  ultimate  meaning  to  Avhich  the  verb  tends  in  all 
languages.  In  all  its  meanings,  especially  in  the  first  and  second,  the 
Hebrew  speaker  presumes  an  onlooker,  to  whom  the  object  in  question 
appears  coming  into  being,  becoming  or  being,  as  the  case  maybe. 
Hence  it  means  to  be  manifestly,  so  that  eye-witnesses  may  observe  the 
signs  of  existence. 

iinbl  !in'n  a  loaste  and  a  void.  The  two  terms  denote  kindred  ideas, 
and  their  combination  marks  emphasis.  Besides  the  present  passage 
>in3  occurs  in  only  two  others  (Is.  xxxiv.  11  ;  Jer.  iv.  23),  and  always 
in  conjunction  with  ^Tm.  If  we  may  distinguish  the  two  words,  ^ina 
refers  to  the  matter,  and  ^nh  to  the  form,  and  therefore  the  phrase 
combining  the  two  denotes  a  state  of  utter  confusion  and  desolation,  an 
absence  of  all  that  can  furnish  or  people  the  land. 

fiCn  darkness,  the  absence  of  light. 

cia  face,  surface,     n'aface,  look,  tarn  toioards. 

ts-inin  roaring  deep,  billow.     d>in  hum,  roar,  fret. 

IX'^-i  breath,  wind,  soid,  spirit. 

fjn'n  be  soft,  tremble.     Pi.  brood,  flutter. 

^•ixri'i  and  the  earth.  Here  the  conjunction  attaches  the  noun,  and 
not  the  verb,  to  the  preceding  statement.  This  is  therefore  a  connec- 
tion of  objects  in  space,  and  not  of  events  in  time.  The  present  sen- 
tence, accordingly,  may  not  stand  closely  conjoined  in  point  of  time 
with  the  preceding  one.  To  intimate  sequence  in  time  the  conjunction 
would  have  been  prefixed  to  the  verb  in  the  form  ^nni  then  was. 


GEN.  I.  2.  33 

y^l^  means  not  only  earth,  but  coimfri/,  land,  a  portion  of  the  earth's 
surface  defined  by  natural,  national,  or  civil  boundaries  ;  as,  the  land  of 
Egypt,  thy  land  (Ex.  xxiii.  9,  10). 

Before  proceeding  to  translate  this  verse,  it  is  to  be  observed  that  the 
state  of  an  event  may  be  described  either  definitely  or  indefinitely.  It 
is  described  definitely  by  the  three  states  of  the  Hebrew  verb,  —  the  per- 
fect, the  current,  and  the  imperfect.  The  latter  two  may  be  designated 
in  common  the  imperfect  state.  A  completed  event  is  expressed  by 
the  former  of  the  two  states,  or,  as  they  are  commonly  called,  tenses 
of  the  Hebrew  verb ;  a  current  event,  by  the  imperfect  participle  ; 
an  incipient  event,  by  the  second  state  or  tense.  An  event  is  de- 
scribed indefinitely  when  there  is  neither  verb  nor  participle  in  the 
sentence  to  determine  its  state.  The  first  sentence  of  this  verse  is  an 
example  of  the  perfect  state  of  an  event,  the  second  of  the  indefinite, 
and  the  third  of  the  imperfect  or  continuous  state. 


2.  And  the  earth  had  become  a  waste  and  a  void,  and  dark- 
ness was  upon  the  face  of  the  deep  ;  and  the  Spirit  of  God  was 
brooding  upon  the  face  of  the  water. 

After  the  undefined  lapse  of  time  fi-om  the  first  grand  act  of  creation, 
the  present  verse  describes  the  state  of  things  on  the  land  immediately 
antecedent  to  the  creation  of  a  new  system  of  vegetable  and  animal 
life,  and,  in  particular,  of  man,  the  intelligent  inhabitant,  for  whom  this 
fair  scene  was  now  to  be  fitted  up  and  replenished. 

Here  "  the  earth  "  is  put  first  in  the  order  of  words,  and  therefore, 
according  to  the  genius  of  the  Hebrew  language,  set  forth  prominently 
as  the  subject  of  the  sentence  ;  whence  we  conclude  that  the  subse- 
quent narrative  refers  to  the  land  —  the  skies  from  this  time  forward 
coming  in  only  incidentally,  as  they  bear  upon  its  history.  The  dis- 
order and  desolation,  we  are  to  remember,  are  limited  in  their  range 
to  the  land,  and  do  not  extend  to  the  skies ;  and  the  scene  of  the 
creation  now  remaining  to  be  described  is  confined  to  the  land,  and  its 
superincumbent  matter  in  point  of  space,  and  to  its  present  geological 
condition  in  point  of  time. 

"We  have  further  to  bear  in  mind  that  the  land  among  the  antedilu- 
vians, and  down  far  below  the  time  of  Moses,  meant  so  much  of  the 
surface  of  our  globe  as  was  known  by  observation,  along  with  an  un- 
known and  undetermined  region  beyond ;  and  observation  was  not 
5 


34  THE  LAND. 

then  so  extensive  as  to  enable  men  to  ascertain  its  spherical  form  or 
even  the  curvature  of  its  surface.  To  their  eye  it  presented  merely 
an  irregular  surface  bounded  by  the  horizon.  Hence  it  appears  that, 
so  far  as  the  current  significance  of  this  leading  term  is  concerned,  the 
scene  of  the  six  days'  creation  cannot  be  affirmed  on  scriptural  author- 
ity alone  to  have  extended  beyond  the  surface  known  to  man.  Noth- 
ing can  be  inferred  from  the  mere  words  of  Scripture  concerning 
America,  Australia,  the  islands  of  the  Pacific,  or  even  the  remote  parts 
of  Asia,  Africa,  or  Europe,  that  were  yet  unexplored  by  the  race  of 
man.  We  are  going  beyond  the  warrant  of  the  sacred  narrative,  on  a 
flight  of  imagination,  whenever  we  advance  a  single  step  beyond  the 
sober  limits  of  the  usage  of  the  day  in  which  it  was  written. 

Along  with  the  sky  and  its  conspicuous  objects  the  land  then  knovrn 
to  the  primeval  man  formed  the  sum  total  of  the  observable  univers^e. 
It  was  as  competent  to  him  with  his  limited  information,  as  it  is  to  us 
with  our  more  extensive  but  still  limited  knowledge,  to  express  the  all 
by  a  periphrasis  consisting  of  two  terms  that  have  not  even  yet  arrived 
at  their  full  complement  of  meaning :  and  it  was  not  the  object  or  the 
effect  of  divine  revelation  to  anticipate  science  on  these  points. 

Passing  now  from  the  subject  to  the  verb  in  this  sentence,  we  ob- 
serve it  is  in  the  perfect  state,  and  therefore  denotes  that  the  condition 
of  confusion  and  emptiness  was  not  in  progress,  but  had  run  its  course 
and  become  a  settled  thing,  at  least  at  the  time  of  the  next  recorded 
event.  If  the  verb  had  been  absent  in  Hebrew,  the  sentence  would 
have  been  still  complete,  and  the  meaning  as  follows  :  "  And  the  land 
was  vv^aste  and  void."  Witli  the  verb  present,  therefore,  it  must  de- 
note something  more.  The  verb  ti-n  5e  has  here,  we  conceive,  tlie 
meaning  become ;  and  the  import  of  the  sentence  is  this :  "  And  the 
land  had  become  waste  and  void."  This  affoi'ds  the  presumption  that 
the  part  at  least  of  the  surface  of  our  globe  which  fell  within  the  cog- 
nizance of  primeval  man,  and  first  received  the  name  of  land,  may  not 
have  been  always  a  scene  of  desolation  or  a  sea  of  turbid  waters,  but 
may  have  met  with  som.e  catastrophe  by  which  its  order  and  fruitfid- 
ness  had  been  marred  or  prevented. 

This  sentence,  therefore,  docs  not  necessarily  describe  the  state  of 
the  land  when  first  created,  but  merely  intimates  a  change  that  may 
have  taken  place  since  it  Avas  called  into  existence.  What  its  previous 
condition  was,  or  what  interval  of  time  elapsed  between  the  absolute 
creation  and  the  present  state  of  things,  is  not  revealed.  How  many 
transibrmations  it  may  have  undergone,  and  what  purpose  it  may  have 


GEN.  I.  2.  35 

Iieretofore  served,  are  questions  that  did  not  essentially  concern  the 
moral  well-being  of  man,  and  are  therefore  to  be  asked  of  some  other 
interpreter  of  nature  than  the  written  v.'ord. 

This  state  of  things  is  finished  in  reference  to  the  event  about  to  be 
narrated.  Hence  the  settled  condition  of  the  land,  expressed  by  the 
predicates  "a  waste  and  a  void,"  is  in  studied  contrast  with  the  order 
and  fulness  which  are  about  to  be  introduced.  The  present  verse  is 
therefore  to  be  regarded  as  a  statement  of  the  wants  that  have  to  be 
supplied  in  order  to  render  the  land  a  region  of  beauty  and  life. 

The  second  clause  of  the  verse  points  out  another  striking  character- 
istic of  the  scene.  "And  darkness  was  upon  the  face  of  the  deep  "  : 
Here  again  the  conjunction  is  connected  with  the  noun.  The  time  is 
the  indefinite  past,  and  the  circumstance  recorded  is  merely  appended 
to  that  contained  in  the  previous  clause.  The  darkness,  therefore,  is 
connected  with  the  disorder  and  solitude  which  then  prevailed  on  the 
land.  It  forms  a  part  of  the  physical  derangement  which  had  taken 
place  on  this  part  at  least  of  the  surftice  of  our  globe. 

It  is  further  to  be  noted  that  the  darkness  is  described  to  be  on  the 
face  of  the  deep.  Nothing  is  said  about  any  other  region  throughout 
the  bounds  of  existing  things.  The  presumption  is,  so  far  as  tliis 
clause  determines,  that  it  is  a  local  darkness  confined  to  the  face  of  the 
deep.  And  the  clause  itself  stands  between  two  others  which  refer  to 
the  land,  and  not  to  any  other  part  of  occupied  space.  It  cannot  there- 
fore be  intended  to  describe  -anything  beyond  this  definite  region. 

The  deep,  the  roaring  abyss,  is  another  feature  in  the  pre-adamic 
scene.  It  is  not  now  a  region  of  land  and  water,  but  a  chaotic  mass  of 
turbid  waters,  floating  over,  it  may  be,  and  partly  laden  with,  the  ruins 
of  a  past  order  of  things  ;  at  all  events  not  at  present  possessing  the 
order  of  vegetable  and  animal  life. 

The  last  clause  introduces  a  new  and  unexpected  element  into  the 
scene  of  desolation.  The  sentence  is,  as  heretofore,  coupled  to  the 
preceding  one  by  the  noun  or  subject.  This  indicates  still  a  conjunc- 
tion of  things,  and  not  a  series  of  events.  The  phrase  n'^n''i:s:  rj'i'n  means 
the  spirit  of  God,  as  it  is  elsewhere  uniformly  applied  to  spirit,  and  as 
v;nn  brooded,  does  not  describe  the  action  of  wind.  The  verbal  form 
employed  is  the  imperfect  participle,  and  therefore  denotes  a  work  in 
the  actual  pi'ocess  of  accomplishment.  The  brooding  of  the  spirit  of 
God  is  evidently  the  originating  cause  of  the  reorganization  of  things 
on  the  land,  by  the  creative  work  which  is  successively  described  in  the 
following  passage. 


36  THE  LAND. 

It  is  here  intimated  that  God  is  a  spirit.  For  "  the  spirit  of  God" 
is  equivalent  to  "  God  who  is  a  spirit."  This  is  that  essential  charac- 
teristic of  the  Everlasting  which  makes  creation  possible.  Many 
philosophers,  ancient  and  modern,  have  felt  the  difficulty  of  proceeding 
from  the  one  to  the  many ;  in  other  words,  of  evolving  the  actual 
multiplicity  of  things  out  of  the  absolutely  one.  And  no  wonder. 
For  the  absolutely  one,  the  pure  monad  that  has  no  internal  relation, 
no  complexity  of  quality  or  faculty,  is  barren,  and  must  remain  alone. 
It  is,  in  fact,  nothing ;  not  merely  no  thing,  but  absolutely  naught. 
The  simplest  possible  existent  must  have  being,  and  that  to  which 
this  being  belongs,  and,  moreover,  some  specific  or  definite  character 
by  which  it  is  what  it  is.  This  character  seldom  consists  of  one  qual- 
ity ;  usually,  if  not  universally,  of  more  than  one.  Hence  in  the 
Eternal  One  may  and  must  be  that  character  which  is  the  concen- 
tration of  all  the  causative  antecedents  of  a  universe  of  things.  The 
first  of  these  is  will.  Without  free  choice  there  can  be  no  beginning 
of  things.  Hence  matter  cannot  be  a  creator.  But  will  needs,  cannot 
be  without,  wisdom  to  plan  and  power  to  execute  what  is  to  be 
willed.  These  are  the  three  essential  attributes  of  spirit.  The  man- 
ifold wisdom  of  the  Eternal  Spirit,  combined  Avith  his  equally  manifold 
power,  is  adequate  to  the  creation  of  a  manifold  system  of  things.  Let 
the  free  behest  be  given,  and  the  universe  starts  into  being. 

It  would  be  rash  and  out  of  place  to  speculate  on  the  nature  of  the 
brooding  here  mentioned  further  than  it. is  explained  by  the  event. 
We  could  not  see  any  use  of  a  mere  wind  blowing  over  the  water,  as 
it  would  be  productive  of  none  of  the  subsequent  effects.  At  the 
same  time,  we  may  conceive  the  spirit  of  God  to  manifest  its  energy 
in  some  outward  effect,  which  may  bear  a  fair  analogy  to  the  natural 
figure  by  which  it  is  represented.  Chemical  forces,  as  the  prime 
agents,  are  not  to  be  thought  of  here,  as  they  are  totally  inadequate  to 
the  production  of  the  results  in  question.  Nothing  but  a  creative  or 
absolutely  initiative  power  could  give  rise  to  a  change  so  great  and 
fundamental  as  the  construction  of  an  Adamic  abode  out  of  the  lumin- 
ous, aerial,  aqueous,  and  terrene  materials  of  the  preexistent  earth, 
and  the  production  of  the  new  vegetable  and  animal  species  with  which 
it  was  now  to  be  replenished. 

Such  is  the  intimation  we  gather  from  the  text,  when  it  declares 
that  "  the  spirit  of  God  Avas  brooding  upon  the  face  of  the  waters." 
It  means  something  more  than  the  ordinary  power  put  forth  by  the 
Great  Being  for  the  natural  sustenance  and  development  of  the  uni- 


GEN.  I.  3-5.  37 

rerse  which  he  has  called  into  existence.  It  indicates  a  new  and 
special  display  of  omnipotence  for  the  present  exigencies  of  this  part 
of  the  realm  of  creation.  Such  an  occasional,  and,  for  ought  we  know, 
ordinary  though  supernatural  interposition,  is  quite  in  harmony  with 
the  perfect  freedom  of  the  Most  High  in  the  changing  conditions  of  a 
particular  region,  while  the  absolute  impossibility  of  its  occurrence 
would  be  totally  at  variance  with  this  essential  attribute  of  a  spiritual 
nature. 

In  addition  to  this,  we  cannot  see  how  a  universe  of  moral  beings 
can  be  governed  on  any  other  principle  ;  while,  on  the  other  hand, 
the  principle  itself  is  perfectly  compatible  with  the  administration  of 
the  whole  according  to  a  predetermined  plan,  and  does  not  involve  any 
vacillation  of  purpose  on  the  part  of  the  Great  Designer. 

We  observe,  also,  that  this  cx-eative  power  is  put  forth  on  the  face 
of  the  waters,  and  is  therefore  confined  to  the  land  mentioned  in  the 
previous  part  of  the  verse  and  its  superincumbent  atmosphere. 

Thus  this  primeval  document  proceeds,  in  an  orderly  way,  to  por- 
tray to  us  in  a  single  verse  the  state  of  the  land  antecedent  to  its  being 
fitted  up  anew  as  a  meet  dwelling-place  for  man. 


III.    THE  FIRST  DAY.  —  Gen.  i.  3-5. 

3.  ^rx  say,  lid.  After  this  verb  comes  the  thing  said  in  the  words 
of  the  speaker,  or  an  equivalent  expression.  In  this  respect  it  cor- 
responds with  our  English  say. 

"lix  light.  Light  is  simply  that  which  makes  a  sensible  impression 
on  the  organs  of  vision.  It  belongs  to  a  class  of  things  which  occar 
sionally  pi'oduce  the  same  effect. 

"irx'^T  then  said.  Here  we  have  come  to  the  narrative  or  the  rec- 
ord of  a  series  of  events.  The  conjunction  is  prefixed  to  the  verb,  to 
indicate  the  connection  of  the  event  it  records  with  that  which  pre- 
cedes. There  is  here,  therefore,  a  sequence  in  the  order  of  time.  In 
a  chain  of  events,  the  narrative  follows  the  order  of  occurrence.  Col- 
lateral chains  of  events  must  of  necessity  be  recorded  in  successive 
paragraphs.  The  first  pai'agraph  can-ies  on  one  line  of  incidents  to  a  fit 
resting-place.  The  next  may  go  back  to  take  up  the  record  of  another 
line.  Hence  a  new  paragraph  beginning  with  a  conjoined  verb  is 
to  be  connected  in  time,  not  with  the  last  sentence  of  the  preceding 


38  THE  FIRST  DAY. 

one,  but  with  some  sentence  in  the  preceding  narrative  more  or  less 
distant  from  its  terminating  point  (see  on  ver.  5,  and  ii.  3).  Even  a 
single  verse  may  be  a  paragraph  in  itself  referring  to  a  point  of  time 
antecedent  to  the  preceding  sentence. 

A  verb  so  conjoined  in  narrative  is  in  Hebrew  put  in  the  incipient 
or  imperfect  form,  as  the  narrator  conceives  the  events  to  grow  each 
out  of  that  already  past.  He  himself  follows  the  incidents  step  by 
step  down  the  pathway  of  time,  and  hence  the  initial  aspect  of  each 
event  is  towards  him,  as  it  actually  comes  upon  the  stage  of  existence. 

As  the  event  now  before  us  belongs  to  past  time,  this  verb  is  w^ll 
enough  rendered  by  the  past  tense  of  our  English  verb.  This  tense 
in  English  is  at  present  indefinite,  as  it  does  not  determine  the  state  of 
the  event  as  either  beginning,  continuing,  or  concluded.  It  is  not  im- 
probable, however,  that  it  originally  designated  the  first  of  these  states, 
and  came  by  degrees  to  be  indefinite.  The  English  present  also  may 
have  denoted  an  incipient,  and  then  an  imperfect  or  indefinite. 

3.  njj'n  see  (opaw?)  "ii5<  e7mt  light,  nxn  see  by  light. 
Si?2  good.     0pp.  ^'"n . 

4.  JK^)^  cry,  call. 

a"iSJ  evening,  sunset.  A  space  of  time  before  and  after  sunset. 
B'lS'n?  two  evenings,  a  certain  time  before  sunset,  and  the  time  between 
sunset  and  the  end  of  twilight,  d'la'irr^  "?  the  interval  between  the 
two  evenings,  from  sunset  to  the  end  of  twilight,  according  to  the  Kara- 
ites and  Samaritans ;  from  sun  declining  to  sunset,  according  to  the 
Pharisees  and  Eabbinists.  It  might  be  the  time  from  the  beginning 
of  the  one  to  the  beginning  of  the  other,  from  the  end  of  the  one  to  the  end 
of  the  other,  or  from  the  beginning  of  the  one  to  the  end  of  the  other. 
The  last  is  the  most  suitable  for  all  the  passages  in  which  it  occurs. 
These  are  ten  in  number,  all  in  the  law  (Ex.  xii.  6,  xvi.  12,  xxix. 
31,  41,  XXX.  8  ;  Lev.  xxiii.  5 ;  Num.  ix.  3,  5,  8,  xxviii.  4).  The 
slaying  of  the  evening  lamb  and  of  the  passover  lamb,  the  eating  of 
the  latter  and  the  lighting  of  the  lamps,  took  place  in  the  interval  so 
designated. 

At  the  end  of  this  portion  of  the  sacred  text  we  have  the  first  S . 
This  is  explained  in  the  Introduction,  Section  VII. 

3.  Then  said  God,  Lot  there  be  light ;  and  there  was  light. 
4.  Then  saw  God  the  light  that  it  was  good :  then  divided  Gcd 
between  the  light  and  between  the  darkness.     5.  Then  called 


GEN.  I.  3-5.  39 

God  to  the  light,  day,  and  to  tlie  darkness  he  called  night. 
Then  was  evening,  then  was  morning,  day  one.  IT  1. 

The  first  day's  work  is  the  calling  of  light  into  being.  Here  the 
design  is  evidently  to  remove  one  of  the  defects  mentioned  in  the  pre- 
ceding verse,  —  "  and  darkness  was  upon  the  face  of  the  deep."  The 
scene  of  this  creative  act  is  therefore  coincident  with  that  of  the  dark- 
ness it  is  intended  to  displace.  The  interference  of  supernatural  power 
to  cause  the  presence  of  light  in  this  region,  intimates  that  the  powers 
of  nature  were  inadequate  to  this  effect.  But  it  does  not  determine 
whether  or  not  light  had  already  existed  elsewhere,  and  had  even  at 
one  time  penetrated  into  this  now  darkened  region,  and  was  still  pre- 
vailing in  the  other  realms  of  space  beyond  the  face  of  the  deep.  Nor 
does  it  determine  whether  by  a  change  of  the  polar  axis,  by  the  rare- 
faction of  the  gaseous  medium  above,  or  by  what  other  means,  light 
was  made  to  visit  this  region  of  the  globe  with  its  agreeable  and  quick- 
ening influences.  "We  only  read  that  it  did  not  then  illuminate  the 
deep  of  waters,  and  that  by  the  potent  word  of  God  it  was  then  sum- 
moned into  being.  This  is  an  act  of  creative  power ;  for  it  is  a  calling 
into  existence  that  which  had  previously  no  existence  in  that  place,  and 
was  not  owing  to  the  mere  development  of  nature.  Hence  the  act  of 
omnipotence  here  recorded  is  not  at  variance  with  the  existence  of 
light  among  the  elements  of  that  universe  of  nature,  the  absolute  crea- 
tion of  which  is  affirmed  in  the  first  verse. 

3.  Then  said  God.  In  this  verse  God  speaks.  From  this  we 
learn  that  he  not  only  is,  but  is  such  that  he  can  express  his  will  and 
commune  with  his  intelligent  creatures.  He  is  manifest  not  only  by 
his  creation,  but  by  himself.  If  light  had  come  into  existence  without 
a  perceptible  cause,  we  should  still  have  inferred  a  first  Causer  by  an 
intuitive  principle  which  demands  an  adequate  cause  for  anything 
making  its  appearance  which  was  not  before.  But  when  God  says, 
"  Be  light,"  in  the  audience  of  his  intelligent  creatures,  and  light 
forthwith  comes  into  view,  they  perceive  God  commanding,  as  well  as 
light  appearing. 

Speech  is  the  proper  mode  of  spiritual  manifestation.  Thinking, 
willing,  acting  are  the  movements  of  spirit,  and  speech  is  the  mdex 
of  that  which  is  thought,  willed,  and  done.  Now,  as  the  essence  of 
God  is  the  spirit  which  thinks  and  acts,  so  the  form  of  God  is  that  in 
which  the  spirit  speaks,  and  otherwise  meets  the  observations  of  in- 
telligent beings.     In  these  three  verses,  then,  we  have  God,  the  spirit 


40 


THE  FIRST  DAY. 


of  God,  and  the  word  of  God.  And  as  the  term  spirit  is  transferred 
from  an  inanimate  thing  to  signify  an  intelligent  agent,  so  the  term 
word  is  capable  of  receiving  a  similar  change  of  application. 

Inadvertent  critics  of  the  Bible  object  to  God  being  described  as 
speahing,  or  performing  any  other  act  that  is  proper  only  to  the  human 
frame  or  spirit.  They  say  it  is  anthropomorphic  or  anthropopathic, 
implies  a  gross,  material,  or  human  idea  of  God,  and  is  therefore  un- 
worthy of  him  and  of  his  word.  But  they  forget  that  great  law  of 
thought  and  speech  by  which  we  apprehend  analogies,  and  with  a  wise 
economy  call  the  analogues  by  the  same  name.  Almost  all  the  words 
we  apply  to  mental  things  were  originally  borrowed  from  our  vocabu- 
lary for  the  material  world,  and  therefore  really  figurative,  until  by 
long  habit  the  metaphor  was  forgotten,  and  they  became  to  all  intents 
and  purposes  literal.  And  philosophei's  never  have  and  never  wiU 
have  devised  a  more  excellent  way  of  husbanding  words,  mai'king 
analogies,  and  fitly  expressing  spiritual  things.  Our  i^hraseology  for 
mental  ideas,  though  lifted  up  from  a  lower  sphere,  has  not  landed  us 
in  spiritualism,  but  enabled  us  to  converse  about  the  metaphysical  with 
the  utmost  purity  and  propriety. 

And  as  this  holds  true  of  human  thoughts  and  actions,  so  does  it 
apply  with  equal  truth  to  the  divine  ways  and  works.  Let  there  be  in 
our  minds  right  notions  of  God,  and  the  tropical  language  we  must 
and  ought  to  employ  in  speaking  of  divine  things  will  derive  no  taint 
of  error  from  its  original  application  to  their  human  analogues.  Scrip- 
ture communicates  those  adequate  notions  of  the  most  High  God 
which  are  the  fit  corrective  of  its  necessarily  metaphorical  language 
concerning  the  things  of  God.  Accordingly  the  intelligent  perusal  of 
the  Bible  has  never  produced  idolatry ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  has 
communicated  even  to  its  critics  the  just  conceptions  they  have  ac- 
quired of  the  spiritual  nature  of  the  one  true  God. 

It  ought  to  be  remembered,  also,  that  the  very  principle  of  all  lan- 
guage is  the  use  of  signs  for  things,  that  the  trope  is  only  a  special 
application  of  this  principle  according  to  the  law  of  parsimony,  and 
that  the  East  is  peculiarly  addicted  to  the  use  of  tropical  language. 
Let  not  western  metaphysics  misjudge,  lest  it  be  found  to  misunder- 
stand eastern  aesthetics. 

It  is  interesting  to  observe  in  the  self-manifesting  God  the  great 
archetypes  of  which  the  semblances  ai'e  found  in  man.  Here  we  have 
the  sign-making  or  signifying  faculty  in  exercise.  Whether  there 
were  created  witnesses  present  at  the  issue  of  this  divine  command, 


GEN.  I.  3-5.  41 

we  are  not  here  informed.  Their  presence,  however,  was  not  neces- 
sary to  give  significance  to  the  act  of  speech,  any  more  than  to  that 
of  self-manifestation.  God  may  manifest  himself  and  speak,  though 
there  be  none  to  see  and  hear. 

We  see,  too,  here'  the  name  in  existence  before  the  thing,  because  it 
primarily  refers  to  the  thing  as  contemplated  in  thought. 

The  self-manifesting  God  and  the  self-manifesting  act  of  speaking 
are  here  antecedent  to  the  act  of  creation,  or  the  coming  of  the  thing 
into  existence.  This  teaches  us  that  creation  is  a  different  thing  from 
self-manifestation  or  emanation.  God  is ;  he  manifests  himself ;  he 
speaks  ;  and  lastly  he  puts  forth  the  power,  and  the  thing  is  done. 

Let  there  he  light.  The  word  he  simply  denotes  the  existence  of  the 
light,  by  whatever  means  or  from  whatever  quarter  it  comes  into  the 
given  locality.  It  might  have  been  by  an  absolute  act  of  pure  crea-  . 
tion  or  making  out  of  nothing.  But  it  may  equally  well  be  effected 
by  any  supernatural  operation  which  removes  an  otherwise  insur- 
mountable hinderance,  and  opens  the  way  for  the  already  existing  light 
to  penetrate  into  the  hitherto  darkened  region.  This  phrase  is  there- 
fore in  perfect  harmony  with  preexistence  of  light  among  the  other 
elementary  parts  of  the  universe  from  the  very  beginning  of  things. 
And  it  is  no  less  consonant  with  the  fact  that  heat,  of  which  light  is  a 
species  or  form,  is,  and  has  from  the  beginning  been,  present  in  all 
those  chemical  changes  by  which  the  process  of  universal  nature  is 
carried  on  through  all  its  innumerable  cycles. 

4.  Then  saw  God  the  light  that  it  was  good.  God  contem- 
plates his  work,  and  derives  \hQ  feeling  of  complacence  from  the  per- 
ception of  its  excellence.  Here  we  have  two  other  archetypal  facul- 
ties displayed  in  God,  which  subsequently  make  their  appearance  in 
the  nature  of  man,  the  understanding,  and  the  judgment. 

The  perception  of  things  external  to  himself  is  an  important  fact  in 
the  relation  between  the  Creator  and  the  creature.  It  implies  that  the 
created  thing  is  distinct  from  the  creating  Being,  and  external  to  him. 
It  therefore  contradicts  pantheism  in  all  its  forms. 

The  judgment  is  merely  another  branch  of  the  apprehensive  or  cog- 
nitive faculty,  by  which  we  note  physical  and  ethical  relations  and  dis- 
tinctions of  things.  It  comes  immediately  into  view  on  observing  the 
object  now  called  into  existence.  God  saw  "  that  it  was  good."  That 
is  good  in  general  which  fulfils  the  end  of  its  being.  The  relation  of 
good  and  evil  has  a  place  and  an  application  in  the  physical  world,  but 
it  ascends  through  all  the  grades  of  the  intellectual  and  the  moral, 
G 


42  THE  FIRST  DAY. 

That  form  of  the  judgment  which  takes  cognizance  of  moral  distinc- 
tions is  of  so  much  importance  as  to  have  received  a  distinct  name,  — 
the  conscience,  or  moral  sense. 

Here  the  moral  rectitude  of  God  is  vindicated,  inasmuch  as  the 
work  of  his  power  is  manifestly  good.  This  refutes  the  doctrine  of 
the  two  principles,  the  one  good  and  the  other  evil,  which  the  Per- 
sian sages  have  devised  in  order  to  account  for  the  presence  of  moral 
and  physical  evil  along  Avith  the  good  in  the  present  condition  of  our 
world. 

Divided  between  the  light  and  between  the  darkness.  God  then  sep- 
arates light  and  darkness,  by  assigning  to  each  its  relative  position  in 
time  and  space.  This  no  doubt  refers  to  the  vicissitudes  of  day  and 
night,  as  we  learn  from  the  following  verse  : 

5.  Called  to  the  light,  day,  etc.  After  separating  the  light  and  the 
darkness,  he  gives  them  the  new  names  of  day  and  night,  according  to 
the  limitations  under  which  they  were  now  placed.  Before  this  epoch 
in  the  history  of  the  earth  there  was  no  rational  inhabitant,  and  there- 
fore no  use  of  naming.  The  assigning  of  names,  therefore,  is  an  in- 
dication that  w^e  have  arrived  at  that  stage  in  which  names  for  things 
will  be  necessary,  because  a  rational  creature  is  about  to  appear  on  the 
scene. 

Naming  seems  to  be  designating  according  to  the  specific  mode  in 
which  the  general  notion  is  realized  in  the  thing  named.  This  is  illus- 
trated by  several  instances  which  occur  in  the  following  part  of  the 
chapter.  It  is  the  right  of  the  maker,  owner,  or  other  superior  to 
give  a  name  ;  and  hence  the  receiving  of  a  name  indicates  the  subor- 
dination of  the  thing  named  to  the  namer.  Name  and  thing  corres- 
pond :  the  former  is  the  sign  of  the  latter ;  hence  in  the  concrete 
matter-of-fact  style  of  Scripture  the  name  is  often  put  for  the  thing, 
quality,  person,  or  authority  it  represents. 

Tlie  designations  of  day  and  night  explain  to  us  what  is  the  meaning 
of  dividing  the  light  from  the  darkness.  It  is  the  separation  of  the  one 
from  the  other,  and  the  orderly  distribution  of  each  over  the  diflcrcnt 
parts  of  the  earth's  surface  in  the  course  of  a  night  and  a  day.  This 
could  only  be  effected  in  the  space  of  a  diurnal  revolution  of  the  earth 
on  its  axis.  Accordingly,  if  light  were  radiated  from  a  particular 
i-egion  in  the  sky,  and  thus  separated  from  darkness  at  a  certain 
meridian,  while  the  earth  performed  its  daily  round,  the  successive 
changes  of  evening,  night,  morning,  day,  Avould  naturally  present  them- 


GEN.  I.  3-5.  43 

selves  in  slow  and  stately  progress  during  that  first  great  act  of 
creation. 

Thus  we  have  evidence  that  the  diurnal  revolution  of  the  earth  took 
place  on  the  first  day  of  the  last  creation.  We  are  not  told  whether  it 
occurred  before  that  time.  K  ever  there  was  a  time  when  the  earth 
did  not  revolve,  or  revolved  on  a  difierent  axis  or  according  to  a  dif- 
ferent law  from  the  present,  the  first  revolution  or  change  of  revolution 
must  have  produced  a  vast  change  in  the  face  of  things,  the  marks  of 
which  would  remain  to  this  day,  whether  the  impulse  was  communi- 
cated to  the  solid  mass  alone,  or  simultaneously  to  all  the  loose  matter 
resting  on  its  surface.  But  the  text  gives  no  intimation  of  such  a 
change. 

At  present,  however,  let  us  recollect  we  have  only  to  do  with  the 
land  known  to  antediluvian  man,  and  the  coming  of  light  into  existence 
over  that  region,  according  to  the  existing  arrangement  of  day  and 
night.  How  far  the  breaking  forth  of  the  light  may  have  extended 
beyond  the  land  known  to  the  writer,  the  present  narrative  does  not 
enable  us  to  determine. 

We  are  now  prepared  to  conclude  that  the  entrance  of  light  into  this 
darkened  region  was  effected  by  such  a  change  in  its  position  or  in  its 
superincumbent  atmosphere  as  allowed  the  interchange  of  night  and 
day  to  become  discernible,  while  at  the  same  time  so  much  obscurity 
still  remained  as  to  exclude  the  heavenly  bodies  from  view.  We  have 
learned  from  the  first  verse  that  these  heavenly  orbs  were  already 
created.  The  luminous  element  that  plays  so  conspicuous  and  essen- 
tial a  part  in  the  process  of  nature,  must  have  formed  a  part  of  that 
original  creation.  The  removal  of  darkness,  therefore,  from  the  local- 
ity mentioned,  is  merely  owing  to  a  new  adjustment  by  which  the 
preexistent  light  was  made  to  visit  the  surface  of  the  abyss  with  its 
cheering  and  enlivening  beams. 

In  this  case,  indeed,  the  real  change  is  effected,  not  in  the  light  itself, 
but  in  the  intervening  medium  which  was  impervious  to  its  rays.  But 
it  is  to  be  remembered,  on  the  other  hand,  that  the  actual  result  of  the 
divine  interposition  is  still  the  diffiision  of  light  over  the  face  of  the 
watery  deep,  and  that  the  actual  phenonaena  of  the  change,  as  they 
would  strike  an  onlooker,  and  not  the  invisible  springs  of  the  six  days' 
creation,  are  described  in  the  chapter  before  us. 

Then  was  evening,  then  was  morning,  day  one.  The  last  clause  of 
the  verse  is  a  resumption  of  the  whole  process  of  time  during  this  first 
work  of  creation.     This  is  accordingly  a  simple  and  striking  example 


44  THE  FIRST  DAY. 

of  two  lines  of  narrative  parallel  to  each  other  and  exactly  coinciding 
in  respect  of  time.  In  general  we  find  the  one  line  overlapping  only 
a  part  of  the  other. 

The  day  is  described,  according  to  the  Hebrew  mode  of  narrative, 
by  its  starting-point,  "  the  evening."  The  first  half  of  its  course  is  run 
out  during  the  night.  The  next  half  in  like  manner  commences  with 
"  the  morning,"  and  goes  through  its  round  in  the  proper  day.  Then 
the  whole  period  is  described  as  "  one  day."  The  point  of  termination- 
for  the  day  is  thus  the  evening  again,  which  agrees  with  the  Hebrew 
division  of  time  (Lev.  xxiii.  32). 

To  make  "  the  evening  "  here  the  end  of  the  first  day,  and  so  "  the 
morning  "  the  end  of  the  first  night,  as  is  done  by  some  interpreters, 
is  therefore  equally  inconsistent  with  the  grammar  of  the  Hebrews  and 
with  their  mode  of  reckoning  time.  It  also  defines  the  diurnal  period, 
by  noting  first  its  middle  point  and  then  its  termination,  which  does  not 
seem  to  be  natural.  It  further  defines  the  period  of  sunshine,  or  the 
day  proper,  by  "  the  evening,"  and  the  night  by  the  morning ;  a  pro- 
ceeding equally  unnatural.  It  has  not  even  the  advantage  of  making 
the  event  of  the  latter  clause  subsequent  to  that  of  the  former.  For 
the  day  of  twenty-four  hours  is  wholly  spent  in  dividing  the  light  from 
the  darkness  ;  and  the  self-same  day  is  described  again  in  this  clause, 
take  it  how  we  will.  This  interpretation  of  the  clause  is  therefore  to 
be  rejected. 

The  days  of  this  creation  are  natural  days  of  twenty-four  hours  each. 
"We  may  not  depart  from  the  ordinary  meaning  of  the  word  without  a 
sufficient  warrant  either  in  the  text  of  Scripture  or  in  the  law  of  nature. 
But  we. have  not  yet  found  any  such  warrant.  Only  necessity  can 
force  us  to  such  an  expedient.  Scripture,  on  the  other  hand,  warrants 
us  in  retaining  the  common  meaning  by  yielding  no  hint  of  another, 
and  by  introducing  "  evening,  night,  morning,  day,"  as  its  ordinary 
divisions.  Nature  favors  the  same  interpretation.  All  geological 
changes  are  of  course  subsequent  to  the  great  event  recorded  in  the 
first  verse,  which  is  the  beginning  of  things.  All  such  changes,  except 
the  one  recorded  in  the  six  days'  creation,  are  with  equal  certainty 
antecedent  to  the  state  of  things  described  in  the  second  verse.  Hence 
no  lengthened  period  is  required  for  this  last  creative  interposition. 

"  Day  one  "  is  here  used  for  the  first  day,  the  cardinal  one  being  not 
usually  employed  for  the  ordinal  in  Hebrew  (Gen.  viii.  13;  Exod. 
xl.  2).  It  cannot  indicate  any  emphasis  or  singularity  in  the  day,  as 
it  is  in  no  respect  different  from  the  other  days  of  creation.     It  implies 


GEN.  I.  G-8.  45 

that  the  two  parts  before  mentioned  make  up  one  day.  But  this  is 
equally  implied  by  all  the  ordinals  on  the  other  days. 

This  day  is  in  many  ways  interesting  to  us.  It  is  the  first  day  of 
the  last  creation ;  it  is  the  first  day  of  the  week  ;  it  is  the  day  of  the  res- 
urrection of  the  Messiah ;  and  it  has  become  the  Christian  Sabbath. 

The  first  five  verses  form  the  first  parashah  or  section  of  the  He- 
brew text.  If  this  division  come  from  the  author,  it  indicates  that  he 
regarded  the  first  day's  work  as  the  body  of  the  narrative,  and  the 
creation  of  the  universe,  in  the  first  verse,  and  the  condition  of  the 
earth,  in  the  second,  as  mere  preliminaries  to  introduce  and  elucidate 
his  main  statement.  If,  on  the  contrary,  it  proceed  from  some  tran- 
scriber of  a  subsequent  period,  it  may  indicate  that  he  considered  the 
creative  work  of  the  first  day  to  consist  of  two  parts,  —  first,  an  abso- 
lute creation ;  and,  second,  a  supplementary  act,  by  which  the  primaiy 
universe  was  first  enlightened. 


IV.    THE  SECOND  DAY.  —  Gen.  i.  G-8. 

G.  ^"""^  expanse  ;  crrepeio/jM,  t"^^'^  sjiread  out  by  beating,  as  leaf  gold. 
This  expanse  was  not  understood  to  be  solid,  as  the  fowl  is  said  to  fly 
on  the  face  of  it  (Gen.  i.  21).  It  is  also  described  as  luminous  (Dan. 
xii.  3),  and  as  a  monument  of  divine  power  (Ps.  cl.  1). 

7.  trc'J  work  on,  mahe  out  of  already  existing  materials. 

6.  Then  said  God,  Let  there  be  an  expanse  in  the  midst  of 
the  water,  and  let  it  be  dividing  between  water  to  water.  7. 
Then  made  God  the  expanse,  and  divided  between  the  water 
wliich  was  from  above  to  tlie  expanse,  and  between  the  water 
which  vfas  from  beneatli  to  the  expanse :  and  it  was  so.  8. 
Then  called  God  to  the  expanse,  heaven  :  then  was  evening, 
then  was  morning,  day  second.  ■    1  2. 

The  second  act  of  creative  power  bears  upon  the  deep  of  waters,  over 
which  the  darkness  had  pre\'ailed,  and  by  which  the  solid  crust  was 
gtill  overlaid.  This  mass  of  turbid  and  noisy  water  must  be  reduced 
to  order,  and  confined  within  certain  limits,  before  the  land  can  be 


46  THE  SECOND  DAY. 

reached.  According  to  the  laws  of  material  nature,  light  or  heat  must 
be  an  essential  factor  in  all  physical  changes,  especially  in  the  produc- 
tion of  gases  and  vapors.  Hence  its  presence  and  activity  are  the  first 
thing  required  in  instituting  a  new  process  of  nature.  Air  naturally 
takes  the  next  place,  as  it  is  equally  essential  to  the  maintenance  of 
vegetable  and  animal  life.  Hence  its  adjustment  is  the  second  step  in 
this  latest  effort  of  creation, 

6.  Let  there  be  an  expanse  in  the  midst  of  the  water.  For  this 
purpose  God  now  calls  into  existence  the  expanse.  This  is  that  inter- 
val of  space  between  the  earth  on  the  one  side  and  the  birds  on  the 
wing,  the  clouds  and  the  heavenly  bodies  on  the  other,  the  lower  part 
of  vrhich  we  know  to  be  occupied  by  the  air.  This  will  appear  more 
clearly  from  a  comparison  of  other  passages  in  this  chapter  (Gen.  1. 
14,  20). 

And  let  it  he  dividing  between  xoater  and  ivatcr.  It  appears  that  the 
water  in  a  liquid  state  was  in  contact  with  another  mass  of  Avater,  in 
the  shape  of  dense  fogs  and  vapors ;  not  merely  overhanging,  but  actu- 
ally resting  on  the  waters  beneath.  The  object  of  the  expanse  is  to 
divide  the  waters  which  are  under  it  from  those  which  are  above  it. 
Hence  it  appears  that  the  thing  really  done  is,  not  to  create  the  space 
that  extends  indefinitely  above  our  heads  (which,  being  in  itself  no 
thing,  but  only  room  for  things,  requires  no  creating),  but  to  establish 
in  it  the  intended  disposition  of  the  waters  in  two  separate  masses,  the 
one  above,  and  the  other  below  the  intervening  expanse.  This  we 
know  is  effected  by  means  of  the  atmosphere,  which  receives  a  large 
body  of  water  in  the  state  of  vapor,  and  bears  up  a  visible  portion 
of  it  in  the  form  of  clouds.  These  ever-returning  and  ever-varying 
piles  of  mist  strike  the  eye  of  the  unsophisticated  spectator ;  and  when 
the  dew  is  observed  on  the  grass,  or  the  showers  of  rain,  hail,  and 
snow  are  seen  falling  on  the  ground,  the  conclusion  is  obvious,  that 
above  the  expanse,  be  the  distance  small  or  great,  is  laid  up  an  unseen 
and  inexhaustible  treasury  of  water,  by  which  the  earth  may  be  per- 
petually bedewed  and  irrigated.  The  aqueous  vapor  is  itself,  as  well 
as  the  element  with  which  it  is  mingled,  invisible  and  impalpable  ;  but 
when  condensed  by  cold  it  becomes  apparent  to  the  eye  in  the  form 
of  mists  and  clouds,  and,  at  a  certain  point  of  coolness,  begins  to  de- 
posit itself  in  the  palpable  form  of  dew,  rain,  hail,  or  snow.  As  soon 
as  it  becomes  obvious  to  the  sense  it  receives  distinguishing  names, 
according  to  its  varying  forms.  But  the  air  being  invisible,  is  unno- 
ticed by  the  primitive  observer  until  it  is  put  in  motion,  when  it  re- 


GEN.  I.  6-8.  47 

ceives  the  name  of  wind.  The  space  it  occupies  is  merely  denominr.ted 
the  expanse ;  that  is,  the  interval  between  us  and  the  various  bodies 
that  float  above  and  hang  upon  nothing,  or  nothing  perceptible  to  the 
eye. 

The  state  of  things  before  this  creative  movement  may  be  called  one 
of  disturbance  and  disorder,  in  comparison  with  the  present  condition 
of  the  atmosphere.  This  disturbance  in  the  relations  of  air  and  water 
was  so  great  that  it  could  not  be  reduced  to  the  present  order  without 
a  supernatural  cause.  "Whether  any  other  gases,  noxious  or  innocu- 
ous, entered  into  the  constitution  of  the  previous  atmosphere,  or 
whether  any  other  ingredients  were  once  held  in  solution  by  the  wa- 
tery deep,  we  are  not  informed.  Whether  any  volcanic  or  plutonic 
violence  had  distui-bed  the  scene,  and  raised  a  dense  mass  of  gaseous 
damp  and  fuliginous  matter  into  the  airy  region,  is  not  stated.  How 
far  the  disorder  extended  v\-e  cannot  tell.  We  are  merely  certain  that 
it  reached  over  all  the  land  known  to  man  dui'ing  the  interval  between 
this  creation  and  the  deluge.  Whether  this  disorder  was  temporary 
or  of  long  standing,  and  whether  the  change  was  effected  by  altering 
the  axis  of  the  earth's  rotation,  and  thereby  the  climate  of  the  land  of 
primeval  man,  or  by  a  less  extensive  movement  confined  to  the  region 
under  consideration,  are  questions  on  which  we  receive  no  instruction, 
because  the  solution  does  not  concern  our  well-being.  As  soon  as 
human  welfare  comes  to  be  in  any  way  connected  with  such  knov,d- 
edge,  it  will  by  some  means  be  made  attainable. 

The  introduction  of  the  expanse  produced  a  vast  change  for  the 
better  on  the  surface  of  the  earth.  The  heavy  mass  of  murky  damp 
and  aqueous  steam  commingling  with  the  abyss  of  waters  beneath  is 
cleared  away.  The  fogs  are  lifted  up  to  the  higher  regions  of  the  sky, 
or  attenuated  into  an  invisible  vapor.  A  leaden  mass  of  clouds  still 
overshadows  the  heavens.  But  a  breathing  space  of  pure  pellucid 
air  now  intervenes  between  the  upper  and  lower  waters,  enveloping 
the  surface  of  the  earth,  and  fitted  for  the  respiration  of  the  flora  and 
fauna  of  a  new  world. 

Let  it  be  noted  that  the  word  be  is  here  again  employed  to  denote 
the  commencement  of  a  new  adjustment  of  the  atmosphere.  This, 
accordingly,  does  not  imply  the  absolute  creation  on  the  second  day  of 
our  present  atmosphere  :  it  merely  indicates  the  constitution  of  it  out 
of  the  materials  already  at  hand,  —  the  selecting  and  due  apportionment 
of  the  proper  elements  ;  the  relegation  of  all  now  foreign  elements  to 
their  own  places  ;  the   dissipation  of  the  lazy,  deadening  damps,  and 


48  THE  SECOND  DAY. 

the  establisliment  of  a  clear  and  pure  air  fit  for  the  use  of  the  future 
man.  Any  or  all  of  these  alterations  will  satisfy  the  form  of  expression 
here  adopted. 

7.  Then  made  God  the  expanse.  Here  the  distinction  between 
command  and  execution  is  made  still  more  prominent  than  in  the 
third  -verse.  For  the  word  of  command  stands  in  one  verse,  and  the 
effect  realized  is  related  in  the  next.  Nay,  we  have  the  doing  of 
the  thing  and  the  thing  done  separately  expressed.  For,  after  stating 
that  God  made  tlie  expanse,  it  is  added,  "  and  it  was  so."  The  work 
accomplished  took  a  permanent  form,  in  which  it  remained  a  standing 
monument  of  divine  wisdom  and  power. 

8;  Then  called  God  to  the  expanse,  heaven.  This  expanse  is,  then, 
the  proper  and  original  skies.  "We  have  here  an  interesting  and 
instructive  example  of  the  way  in  which  words  expand  in  their  signifi- 
cance from  the  near,  the  simple,  the  obvious,  to  the  far  and  v/ide,  the 
complex  and  the  inferential.  The  heaven,  in  the  first  instance,  meant 
the  open  space  above  the  surface  in  which  we  breathe  and  move,  in 
which  the  birds  fly  and  the  clouds  float.  This  is  the  atmosphere. 
Then  it  stretches  away  into  the  seemingly  boundless  regions  of  space, 
in  which  the  countless  orbs  of  luminous  and  of  opaque  surfaces  circum- 
ambulate. Then  the  heavens  come  to  signify  the  contents  of  this  in- 
definitely augmented  expanse,  —  the  celestial  luminaries  themselves. 
Then,  by  a  still  further  enlargement  of  its  meaning,  we  rise  to  the 
heaven  of  heavens,  the  inexpressibly  grand  and  august  presence-cham- 
ber of  the  Most  High,  where  the  cherubim  and  seraphim,  the  innumer- 
able company  of  angels,  the  myriads  of  saints,  move  in  their  several 
grades  and  spheres,  keeping  the  charge  of  their  Maker,  and  realizing 
the  joy  of  their  being.  This  is  the  third  heaven  (2  Cor.  xii.  2)  to  the 
conception  of  v\'hich  the  imaginative  capacity  of  the  human  mind  rises 
by  an  easy  gradation.  Having  once  attained  to  this  majestic  conception, 
man  is  so  far  prepared  to  conceive  and  compose  that  sublime  sentence 
with  which  the  book  of  God  opens,  —  '•'  In  the  beginning  God  created 
the  heavens  and  the  earth." 

The  expanse,  or  aerial  space,  in  which  this  arrangement  of  things 
has  been  effected,  having  received  its  appropriate  name,  is  recognized 
as  an  accomplished  fact,  and  the  second  day  is  closed. 


GEN.  I.  9-13.  49 


V.    THE  THIRD  DAY.  -Gen.    i.  9-13. 

9.  iT'.p  turn,  bind,  gather,  expect. 

rnra;;!  the  dnj,  the  ground.     UJS'^  he  dry.     tuia  he  abashed. 
11.  xd-i  green  thing,  grass. 
2b^  herb. 

r^T  seed.     'Sy<  S0U1,  sero. 
"^y^  fruit.     nnQ  bear,  fero,  ^epw. 

9.  Then  said  God,  Gathered  be  the  water  from  under  the 
skies  unto  one  place,  and  let  the  ground  appear  :  and  it  was 
so.  10.  Then  called  God  to  the  ground,  land  ;  and  to  the 
gathering  of  the  water  called  he  seas :  then  saw  God  that  it 
was  good. 

11.  Then  said  God,  Grow  let  the  land  grass,  herb  yielding 
seed,  fruit  tree  bearing  fruit  after  its  kind,  in  which  is  its  seed, 
upon  the  land  :  and  it  was  so.  12.  Then  brought  the  land 
forth  grass,  herb  yielding  seed  after  its  kind,  and  tree  bear- 
ing fruit,  in  which  was  its  seed  after  its  kind :  then  saw  God 
that  it  was  good.  13.  Then  was  evening,  then  was  morning, 
day  third.  IF  3. 

The  work  of  creation  on  this  day  is  evidently  twofold,  —  the  distribu- 
tion of  land  and  water,  and  the  creation  of  plants.  The  former  part 
of  it  is  completed,  named,  reviewed,  and  approved  before  the  latter  is 
commenced.  All  that  has  been  done  before  this,  indeed,  is  preparatory 
to  the  introduction  of  the  vegetable  kingdom.  This  may  be  regarded 
as  the  first  stage  of  the  present  creative  process. 

9.  Let  the  water  be  gathered  to  one  place  ;  let  the  ground  appear. 
Tliis  refers  to  the  yet  overflowing  deep  of  waters  (v.  2)  under  the 
expanse.  They  must  be  confined  witliin  certain  limits.  For  this 
purpose  the  order  is  issued,  that  they  be  gathered  into  one  place ;  that 
is,  evidently,  into  a  place  apart  from  that  designed  for  the  land. 

10.  Then  called  God  to  the  ground,  land.  We  use  the  word 
ground  to  denote  the  dry  surface  left  after  the  retreat  of  the  waters. 
To  this  the  Creator  applies  the  term  y^^ii  land,  earth.  Hence  we  find 
that  the  primitive  meaning  of  this  term  was  land,  the  dry  solid  surface 

7 


50  THE  THIRD  DAY. 

of  matter  on  wliicli  we  stand.  This  meaning  it  still  retains  in  all  its 
various  applications  (see  on  v.  2).  As  it  was  soon  learned  by  expe- 
rience that  the  solid  ground  was  continuous  at  the  bottom  of  the  water- 
masses,  and  that  these  were  a  mere  superficial  deposit  gathering  into 
the  hollows,  the  term  was,  by  an  easy  extension  of  its  meaning,  applied 
to  the  whole  surface,  as  it  was  diversified  by  land  and  water.  Our 
word  earth  is  the  term  to  express  it  in  this  more  extended  sense.  In 
this  sense  it  was  the  meet  counterpart  of  the  heavens  in  that  complex 
phrase  by  Avhicli  the  universe  of  things  is  expressed. 

A.nd  to  the  gathering  of  the  loaters  called  he  seas.  In  contradistinc- 
tion to  the  land,  the  gathered  waters  are  called  seas ;  a  term  applied  in 
Scripture  to  any  large  collection  of  water,  even  though  seen  to  be  sui-- 
rounded  by  land ;  as,  the  salt  sea,  the  sea  of  Kinnereth,  the  sea  of  the 
plain  or  valley,  the  fore  sea,  the  hinder  sea  (Gen.  xiv.  3  ;  Num.  xxxiv. 
11 ;  Deut.  iv.  49  ;  Joel  ii.  20  ;  Deut.  xi.  24).  The  plural  form  "  seas  " 
shows  that  the  "  one  place  "  consii'ts  of  several  basins,  all  of  which 
taken  together  are  called  the  place  of  the  waters. 

The  Scripture,  according  to  its  manner,  notices  only  the  palpable 
result ;  namely,  a  diversified  scene  of  "  land  "  and  "  seas."  The  sacred 
singer  possibly  hints  at  the  process  in  Ps.  civ.  G-8 :  "  The  deep  as  a 
garment  thou  didst  spread  over  it  ;  above  the  mountains  stood  the 
waters.  At  thy  rebuke  they  fled ;  at  the  voice  of  thy  thunder  they 
hasted  away.  They  go  up  the  mountains  ;  they  go  down  the  valleys  ; 
unto  the  place  that  thou  hast  founded  for  them."  This  description  is 
highly  poetical,  and  therefore  true  to  nature.  The  hills  are  to  rise  out 
of  the  waters  above  them.  The  agitated  waters  dash  up  the  stirring 
mountains,  but,  as  these  ascend,  at  length  sink  into  the  valleys,  and 
take  the  place  allotted  for  them.  Plainly  the  result  was  accomplished 
by  lowering  some  and  elevating  other  parts  of  the  solid  ground.  Over 
this  inequality  of  surface,  the  waters,  which  before  overspread  the  Avhole 
ground,  flowed  into  the  hollows,  and  the  elevated  regions  became  dry 
land.  This  is  a  kind  of  geological  change  which  has  been  long  known 
to  the  students  of  natm'e.  Such  changes  have  often  been  sudden  and 
violent.  Alterations  of  level,  of  a  gradual  character,  are  known  to  be 
going  on  at  all  times. 

This  disposition  of  land  and  water  pi'cpares  for  the  second  step, 
which  is  the  main  work  of  this  day  ;  namely,  the  creation  of  plants. 
We  are  now  come  to  the  removal  of  another  defect  in  the  state  of  the 
earth,  mentioned  in  the  second  verse, — -its  deformity,  or  rude  and 
uncouth  appearance. 


GEN.  I.  9-13.  51 

11.  Let  the  land  groio.  The  plants  are  said  to  be  products  of 
the  land,  because  they  spring  from  the  dry  ground,  and  a  margin  round 
it  where  the  water  is  so  shallow  as  to  permit  the  light  and  heat  to 
reach  the  bottom.  The  land  is  said  to  grow  or  bring  forth  plants  ;  not 
because  it  is  endowed  with  any  inherent  power  to  generate  plants,  but 
because  it  is  the  element  in  which  they  are  to  take  root,  and  from 
which  they  are  to  spring  forth. 

Grass,  herb  yieldmg  seed,  fruit  tree  hearing  fruit.  The  plants  now 
created  are  divided  into  three  classes, —  grass,  herb,  and  tree.  In  the 
first,  the  seed  is  not  noticed,  as  not  obvious  to  the  eye  ;  in  the  second, 
the  seed  is  the  striking  characteristic ;  in  the  third,  the  fruit,  "  in  which 
is  its  seed,"  in  which  the  seed  is  enclosed,  forms  the  distinguishing 
mark.  This  division  is  simple  and  natural.  It  proceeds  upon  two 
concurrent  marks,  —  the  structure  and  the  seed.  In  the  first,  the  green 
leaf  or  blade  is  prominent  ;  in  the  second,  the  stalk ;  in  the  third,  the 
woody  texture.  In  the  first,  the  seed  is  not  conspicuous ;  in  the  sec- 
ond, it  is  conspicuous ;  in  the  third,  it  is  enclosed  in  a  fruit  which  is 
conspicuous.  This  divisioii  corresponds  with  certain  classes  in  our 
present  systems  of  botan}^  But  it  is  much  less  complex  than  any 
of  them,  and  is  founded  upon  obvious  characteristics.  The  plants 
that  are  on  the  margin  of  these  great  divisions  may  be  arranged  con- 
veniently enough  under  one  or  another  of  them,  according  to  their 
several  orders  or  species. 

After  its  kind.  This  phrase  intimates  that  like  produces  like,  and 
therefore  that  the  "  kinds  "  or  species  are  fixed,  and  do  not  run  into 
one  another.  In  this  little  phrase  the  theory  of  one  species  being 
developed  from  another  is  denied. 

12.  Here  the  fulfilment  of  the  divine  command  is  detailed,  after 
/  being  summed  up  in  the  words  "  it  was  so,"  at  the  close  of  the  previ- 
ous verse.  This  seems  to  arise  from  the  nature  of  growth,  which  has 
a  commencement,  indeed,  but  goes  on  without  ceasing  in  a  progressive 
development.  It  appears  from  the  text  that  the  full  plants,  and  not 
the  seeds,  germs,  or  roots,  were  created.  The  land  sent  forth  grass, 
herb,  tree,  each  in  its  fully  developed  form.  This  was  absolutely  ne- 
cessary, if  man  and  the  land  animals  were  to  be  sustained  by  grasses, 
seeds,  and  fruits. 

Thus  the  land  begins  to  assume  the  form  of  beauty  and  fertility. 
Its  bare  and  rough  soil  is  set  with  the  germs  of  an  incipient  verdure. 
It  has  already  ceased  to  be  "  a  waste."  And  now,  at  the  end  of  this 
third  day,  let  us  pause  to  review  the  natural  order  in  which  everything 


52  THE  THIRD  DAY. 

has  been  thus  far  done.  It  was  necessary  to  produce  light  in  the  first 
place,  because  without  this  potent  element  water  could  not  pass  into 
vapor,  and  rise  on  the  wings  of  the  buoyant  air  into  the  region  above 
the  expanse.  The  atmosphere  must  in  the  next  place  be  reduced  to 
order,  and  charged  with  its  treasures  of  vapor,  before  the  plants  could 
commence  the  process  of  growth,  even  though  stimulated  by  the  influ- 
ence of  light  and  heat.  Again,  the  waters  must  be  withdrawn  from  a 
portion  of  the  solid  surface  before  the  plants  could  be  placed  in  the 
ground,  so  as  to  have  the  full  benefit  of  the  light,  air,  and  vapor  in 
enabling  them  to  draw  from  the  soil  the  sap  by  which  they  are  to  be 
nourished.  When  all  these  conditions  are  fulfilled,  then  the  plants 
themselves  are  called  into  existence,  and  the  first  cycle  of  the  new 
creation  is  completed. 

Could  not  the  Eternal  have  accomplished  all  this  in  one  day  ? 
Doubtless  he  might.  He  might  have  efiected  it  all  in  an  instant  of 
time.  And  he  might  have  compressed  the  growth  and  development 
of  centuries  into  a  moment.  He  might  even  by  possibility  have  con- 
structed the  stratifications  of  the  earth's  crust  with  all  their  slips,  ele- 
vations, depressions,  unconformities,  and  organic  formations  in  a  day. 
And,  lastly,  he  might  have  carried  on  to  completion  all  the  evolutions 
of  universal  nature  that  have  since  taken  place  or  will  hereafter  take 
place  till  the  last  hour  has  struck  on  the  clock  of  time.  But  what 
then  ?  What  purpose  would  have  been  served  by  all  this  speed  ?  It 
is  obvious  that  the  above  and  such  like  questions  are  not  wisely  put. 
The  very  nature  of  the  Eternal  shows  the  futility  of  such  specula- 
tions. Is  the  commodity  of  time  so  scarce  with  him  that  he  must  or 
should  for  any  good  reason  sum  up  the  course  of  a  universe  of  things 
in  an  infinitesimal  portion  of  its  duration  ?  May  we  not,  rather,  must 
we  not,  soberly  conclude  that  there  is  a  due  proportion  between  the 
action  and  the  time  of  the  action,  the  creation  to  be  developed  and  the 
time  of  development.  Both  the  beginning  and  the  process  of  this 
latest  creation  are  to  a  nicety  adjusted  to  the  preexistent  and  concur- 
rent state  of  things.  And  the  development  of  that  which  is  created 
not  only  displays  a  mutual  harmony  and  exact  coincidence  in  the  prog- 
ress of  all  its  other  parts,  but  is  at  the  same  time  finely  adapted  to  the 
constitution  of  man,  and  the  natural,  safe,  and  healthy  ratio  of  his 
physical  and  metaphysical  movements. 


GEN.  I.  14-19.  53 


VI.    THE  FOURTH  DAY.  —Gen.  i.  14-19. 

14.  lix^  a  li(/ht,  luminary,  ceuti-e  of  radiant  light. 
iisio  set  time,  season. 

"Woi'ds  beginning  with  a  formative  a  usually  signify  that  in  which 
the  simple  quality  resides  or  is  realized.  Hence  they  often  denote 
place. 

17.  '1^3  ffive,  hold  out,  show.  'jD  stretch,  hold  out.    Tendo,  teneo,  retW 

14.  Then  said  God,  Let  there  be  lights  in  the  expanse  of  the 
heavens,  to  divide  between  the  day  and  between  the  night ; 
and  let  them  have  been  for  signs  and  for  seasons,  and  for  days 
and  years.  15.  And  let  them  have  been  for  lights  in  the  ex- 
panse of  the  heavens,  to  shine  upon  the  earth  :  and  it  was  so. 

16.  Then  made  God  the  two  great  lights,  the  great  light  to 
rule  the  day,  the  little  light  to  rule  the  niglit,  and  the  stars. 

17.  Then  gave  them  God  in  the  expanse  of  the  heavens,  to 
shine  upon  the  earth.  18.  And  to  rule  over  the  day  and  over 
the  night,  and  to  divide  between  the  light  and  between  the 
darkness  :  then  saw  God  that  it  was  good.  19.  Then  was  even- 
ing, then  was  morning,  day  fourth.  1  4. 

The  darkness  has  been  removed  from  the  face  of  the  deep,  its 
waters  have  been  distributed  in  due  proportions  above  and  below  the 
expanse  ;  the  lower  waters  have  retired  and  given  place  to  the  emerg- 
ing land,  and  the  wasteness  of  the  land  thus  exposed  to  view  has 
begun  to  be  adorned  with  the  living  forms  of  a  new  vegetation.  It 
only  remains  to  remove  the  "  void  "  by  peopling  this  now  fair  and 
fertile  world  with  the  animal  kingdom.  For  this  purpose  the  Great 
Designer  begins  a  new  cycle  of  supernatural  operations. 

14,  15.  Lights.  The  work  of  the  fourth  day  has  much  in  common 
with  that  of  the  first,  which,  indeed  it  continues  and  completes.  Both 
deal  with  light,  and  with  dividing  between  light  and  darkness,  or  day 
and  night.  Let  there  he.  They  agree  also  in  choosing  the  word  he,  to 
express  the  nature  of  the  operation  which  is  here  performed.  But  the 
fourth  day  advances  on  the  first.     It  brings  into  view  the  luminaries, 


54  THE  FOURTH  DAY. 

the  light  radiators,  the  source,  while  the  first  only  indicated  the  stream. 
It  contemplates  the  far  expanse,  while  the  first  regards  only  the 
near. 

For  signs  and  for  seasons,  and  for  days  and  years.  "While  the  first 
day  refers  only  to  the  day  and  its  twofold  division,  the  fourth  refers  to 
signs,  seasons,  days,  and  years.  These  lights  are  for  "  signs."  They  are 
to  serve  as  the  great  natural  chronometer  of  man,  having  its  three  units, 
—  the  day,  the  month,  and  the  year,  —  and  marking  the  divisions  of 
time,  not  only  for  agricultural  and  social  purposes,  but  also  for  meeting 
out  the  eras  of  human  history  and  the  cycles  of  natural  science.  They 
are  signs  of  place  as  well  as  of  time,  —  topometers,  if  we  may  use  the 
tenn.  By  them  the  mariner  has  learned  to  mark  the  latitude  and  lon- 
gitude of  his  ship,  and  the  astronomer  to  determine  with  any  assigna- 
ble degree  of  precision  the  place  as  well  as  the  time  of  the  planetary 
orbs  of  heaven.  The  "  seasons  "  are  the  natural  seasons  of  the  year, 
and  the  set  times  for  civil  and  sacred  purposes  which  man  has  attached 
to  special  days  and  years  in  the  revolution  of  time. 

As  the  word  "  day "  is  a  key  to  the  explanation  of  the  first  day's 
work,  so  is  the  word  "  year  "  to  the  interpretation  of  that  of  the  fourth. 
As  the  cause  of  the  distinction  of  day  and  night  is  the  diurnal  rotation 
of  the  earth  on  its  axis  in  conjunction  with  a  fixed  source  of  light, 
which  streamed  in  on  the  scene  of  creation  as  soon  as  the  natural 
hinderance  was  removed,  so  the  vicissitudes  of  the  year  are  owing, 
along  with  these  two  conditions,  to  the  annual  revolution  of  the  earth 
in  its  orbit  round  the  sun,  together  with  the  obliquity  of  the  ecliptic. 
To  the  phenomena  so  occasioned  are  to  be  added  incidental  variations 
arising  from  the  revolution  of  the  moon  round  the  earth,  and  the  small 
modifications  caused  by  the  various  other  bodies  of  the  solar  system. 
All  these  celestial  phenomena  come  out  from  the  artless  simplicity  of 
the  sacred  narrative  as  observable  facts  on  the  fourth  day  of  that  new 
creation.  From  the  beginning  of  the  solar  system  the  earth  must, 
from  the  nature  of  things,  have  revolved  around  the  sun.  But  whether 
the  rate  of  velocity  was  ever  changed,  or  the  obliquity  of  the  ecliptic 
was  now  commenced  or  altered,  we  do  not  learn  from  this  record. 

15.  To  shine  upon  the  earth.  The  first  day  spreads  the  shaded 
gleam  of  light  over  the  face  of  the  deep.  The  fourth  day  unfolds  to 
the  eye  the  lamps  of  heaven,  hanging  in  the  expanse  of  the  skies,  and 
assigns  to  them  tlie  office  of  "  shining  upon  the  earth."  A  threefold 
function  is  thus  attributed  to  the  celestial  orbs,  —  to  divide  day  from 
night,  to  define  time  and  place,  and  to  shine  on  the  earth.     The  word 


GEN.  I.  U-19.  55 

of  command  is  here  veiy  full,  running  over  two  verses,  witli  the 
exception  of  the  little  clause,  "  and  it  was  so,"  stating  the  result. 

lG-19.  This  result  is  fully  particularized  in  the  next  three  verses. 
Made.  This  word  corresponds  to  the  word  "  be  "  in  the  command, 
and  indicates  the  disposition  and  adjustment  to  a  special  pui-pose 
of  things  previously  existing.  The  two  great  lights.  The  well- 
known  ones,  great  in  relation  to  the  stars,  as  seen  from  the  earth. 
The  great  light,  in  comparison  with  the  little  light.  The  stars,  from 
man's  point  of  view,  are  insignificant,  except  in  regard  to  number  (Gen. 
XV.  o).  17.  God  gave  them.  The  absolute  giving  of  the  heavenly  bodies 
in  their  places  was  performed  at  the  time  of  their  actual  creation.  The 
relative  giving  here  spoken  of  is  that  which  would  appear  to  an  earthly 
spectator,  when  the  intervening  veil  of  clouds  would  be  dissolved  by 
the  divine  agency,  and  the  celestial  luminaries  would  stand  forth  in  all 
their  dazzling  splendor.  18.  To  ride.  From  their  lofty  eminence 
they  regulate  the  duration  and  the  business  of  each  period.  The  whole 
is  inspected  and  approved  as  before. 

Now  let  it  be  remembered  that  the  heavens  were  created  at  the 
absolute  beginning  of  things  recorded  in  the  first  verse,  and  that  they 
included  all  other  things  except  the  earth.  Hence,  according  to  this 
document,  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars  were  in  existence  simultaneously 
with  our  planet.  This  gives  simplicity  and  order  to  the  whole  narra- 
tive. Light  comes  before  us  on  the  first  and  on  the  fourth  day.  Now, 
as  two  distinct  causes  of  a  common  effect  would  be  unphilosophical  and 
unnecessary,  we  must  hold  the  one  cause  to  have  been  in  existence  on 
these  two  days.  But  we  have  seen  that  the  one  cause  of  the  day  and 
of  the  year  is  a  fixed  source  of  radiating  light  in  the  sky,  combined 
with  the  diurnal  and  annual  motions  of  the  earth.  Thus  the  recorded 
preexistence  of  the  celestial  orbs  is  consonant  with  the  presumptions 
of  reason.  The  "  making  "  or  reconstitution  of  the  atmosphere  admits 
their  light  so  far  that  the  alternations  of  day  and  night  can  be  dis- 
cerned. The  making  of  the  lights  of  heaven,  or  the  display  of  them 
in  a  serene  sky  by  the  withdrawal  of  that  opaque  canopy  of  clouds 
that  still  enveloped  the  dome  above,  is  then  the  work  of  the  fourth 
day. 

All  is  now  plain  and  intelligible.  The  heavenly  bodies  become  the 
lights  of  the  earth,  and  the  distinguishers  not  only  of  day  and  night, 
but  of  seasons  and  years,  of  times  and  places.  They  shed  forth  their 
unveiled  glories  and  salutary  potencies  on  the  budding,  waiting  land. 
How  the  higher  grade  of  transparency  in  the  aerial  region  was  eflfected, 


56  THE  rOUETH  DAY. 

we  cannot  tell ;  and,  therefore,  we  are  not  prepared  to  explain  why  it 
is  accomplished  on  the  fourth  day,  and  not  sooner.  But  from  its  very 
position  in  time,  we  are  led  to  conclude  that  the  constitution  of  the  ex- 
panse, the  elevation  of  a  portion  of  the  waters  of  the  deep  in  the  form 
of  vapor,  the  collection  of  the  subaerial  water  into  seas,  and  the  crea- 
tion of  plants  out  of  the  reeking  soil,  must  all  have  had  an  essential 
part,  both  in  retarding  till  the  fourth  day,  and  in  then  bringing  about 
the  dispersion  of  the  clouds  and  the  clearing  of  the  atmosphere.  What- 
ever remained  of  hinderance  to  the  outshining  of  the  sun,  moon,  and 
stars  on  the  land  in  all  their  native  splendor,  was  on  this  day  removed 
by  the  word  of  divine  power. 

Now  is  the  proximate  cause  of  day  and  night  made  palpable  to  the 
observation.  Now  are  the  heavenly  bodies  made  to  be  signs  of  time 
and  place  to  the  intelligent  spectator  on  the  earth,  to  regulate  seasons, 
days,  months,  and  years,  and  to  be  the  luminaries  of  the  world.  Now, 
manifestly,  the  greater  light  rules  the  day,  as  the  lesser  does  the  night. 
The  Creator  has  withdrawn  the  curtain,  and  set  forth  the  hitherto 
undistinguishable  brilliants  of  space  for  the  illumination  of  the  land  and 
the  regulation  of  the  changes  which  diversify  its  surface.  This  bright 
display,  even  if  it  could  have  been  effected  on  the  first  day  with  due 
regard  to  the  forces  of  nature  already  in  operation,  was  unnecessary 
to  the  unseeing  and  unmoving  world  of  vegetation,  while  it  was  plainly 
requisite  for  the  seeing,  choosing,  and  moving  world  of  animated  na- 
ture which  was  about  to  be  called  into  existence  on  the  following  days. 

The  terms  employed  for  the  objects  here  brought  forward,  —  "  lights, 
the  great  light,  the  little  light,  the  stars ; "'  for  the  mode  of  their  mani- 
festation, "  be,  make,  give ;  "  and  for  the  oflices  they  dischai-ge,  "  di- 
vide, rule,  shine,  be  for  signs,  seasons,  days,  yeai"s,"  —  exemplify  the 
admirable  simplicity  of  Scripture,  and  the  exact  adaptation  of  its  style 
to  the  unsophisticated  mind  of  primeval  man.  "We  have  no  longer, 
indeed,  the  naming  of  the  various  objects,  as  on  the  former  days  ;  prob- 
ably because  it .  would  no  longer  be  an  important  source  of  inform- 
ation for  the  elucidation  of  the  narrative.  But  we  have  more  than  an 
equivalent  for  this  in  variety  of  phrase.  The  several  words  have  been 
already  noticed :  it  only  remains  to  make  some  general  remarks. 

(1.)  The  sacred  writer  notes  only  obvious  results,  such  as  come  be- 
fore the  eye  of  the  observer,  and  leaves  the  secondary  causes,  their 
modes  of  operation,  and  their  less  obtrusive  effects,  to  scientific  inquiry. 
The  progress  of  observation  is  from  the  foreground  to  the  background 
of  nature,  from  the  physical  to  the  metaphysical,  and  from  the  objective 


GEN.  I.  14-19.  57 

to  the  subjective.  Among  tlie  senses,  too,  the  eye  is  the  most  promi- 
nent observer  in  the  scenes  of  the  six  days.  Hence  the  "  lights,"  they 
"  shine,"  they  are  for  "  signs  "  and  "  days,"  which  are  in  tlie  first  in- 
stance objects  of  vision.  They  are  "  given,"  held  or  shown  forth  in  the 
heavens.  Even  "  rule  "  has  probably  the  primitive  meaning  to  he  over. 
Starting  thus  with  the  visible  and  the  tangible,  the  Scripture  in  its 
successive  communications  advance  with  us  to  the  inferential,  the  intu- 
itive, the  moral,  the  spiritual,  the  divine. 

(2.)  The  sacred  writer  also  touches  merely  the  heads  of  things  in 
these  scenes  of  creation,  without  condescending  to  minute  particulars 
or  intending  to  be  exhaustive.  Hence  many  actual  incidents  and  in- 
tricacies of  these  days  are  left  to  the  well-regulated  imagination  and 
sober  judgment  of  the  reader.  To  instance  such  omissions,  the  moon 
is  as  much  of  her  time  above  the  horizon  during  the  day  as  during  the 
night.  But  she  is  not  then  the  conspicuous  object  in  the  scene,  or  the 
full-orbed  reflector  of  the  solar  beams,  as  she  is  during  the  night. 
Here  the  better  part  is  used  to  mark  the  whole.  The  tidal  influence 
of  the  great  lights,  in  which  the  moon  plays  the  chief  part,  is  also 
unnoticed.  Hence  we  are  to  expect  very  many  phenomena  to  be 
altogether  omitted,  though  interesting  and  important  in  themselves, 
because  they  do  not  come  within  the  present  scope  of  the  narrative. 

(3.)  The  point  from  wdiich  the  writer  views  the  scene  is  never  to 
be  forgotten,  if  we  would  understand  these  ancient  records.  He  stands 
on  earth.  He  uses  his  eyes  as  the  organ  of  observation.  He  knows 
nothing  of  the  visual  angle,  of  visible  as  distinguishable  from  tangible 
magnitude,  of  relative  in  comparison  with  absolute  motion  on  the  grand 
scale :  he  speaks  the  simple  language  of  the  eye.  Hence  his  earth  is 
the  meet  counterpart  of  the  heavens.  His  sun  and  moon  are  great, 
and  all  the  stars  are  a  very  little  thing.  Light  comes  to  be,  to  him, 
when  it  reaches  the  eye.  The  luminaries  are  held  forth  in  the  heavens, 
when  the  mist  between  them  and  the  eye  is  dissolved. 

(4.)  Yet,  though  not  trained  to  scientific  thought  or  speech,  this 
author  has  the  eye  of  reason  open  as  well  as  that  of  sense.  It  is  not 
with  him  the  science  of  the  tangible,  but  the  philosophy  of  the  intuitive, 
that  reduces  things  to  their  proper  dimensions.  He  traces  not  the 
secondary  cause,  but  ascends  at  one  glance  to  the  great  first  cause,  the 
manifest  act  and  audible  behest  of  the  Eternal  Spirit.  This  imparts  a 
sacred  dignity  to  his  style,  and  a  transcendent  grandeur  to  his  concep- 
tions. In  the  presence  of  the  high  and  lofty  One  that  inhabiteth 
eternity,  all  things  terrestrial  and  celestial  are  reduced  to  a  common 


58  THE  FIFTH  DAY. 

level.  Man  in  intelligent  relation  with  God  comes  forth  as  the  chief 
figure  on  the  scene  of  terrestrial  creation.  The  narrative  takes  its 
commanding  position  as  the  liistory  of  the  ways  of  God  with  man. 
The  commonest  primary  facts  of  ordinary  observation,  when  recorded 
in  this  book,  assume  a  supreme  interest  as  the  monuments  of  eternal 
wi?dom  and  the  heralds  of  the  finest  and  broadest  generalizations  of  a 
consecrated  science.  The  very  words  are  instinct  with  a  germinant 
philosophy,  and  prove  themselves  adequate  to  the  expression  of  the 
loftiest  speculations  of  the  eloquent  mind. 


VII.    THE  riFTH  DAT.  —  Gen.  i.  20-23. 

20.  y^V  crcnvl,  teem,  sioarm,  abound.  An  intransitive  verb,  admit- 
ting, however,  an  objective  noun  of  its  own  or  a  like  signification. 

'-■s:.:  breath,  soul,  self.  This  noun  is  derived  from  a  root  signifying 
to  breathe.  Its  concrete  meaning  is,  therefore,  that  which  breathes,  and 
consequently  has  a  body,  Avithout  which  there  can  be  no  breathing ; 
hence,  a  breathing  body,  and  even  a  body  that  once  had  breath  (Xum. 
vi.  6).  As  breath  is  the  accompaniment  and  sign  of  life,  it  comes  to 
denote  life,  and  hence,  a  living  body,  an  animal.  Aiid  as  life  properly 
signifies  animal  life,  and  is  therefore  essentially  connected  with  feeling, 
appetite,  thought,  'CZ^,  denotes  also  these  qualities,  and  that  which 
possesses  them.  It  is  obvious  that  it  denotes  the  vital  principle  not 
only  in  man  but  in  the  brute.  It  is  therefore  a  more  comprehensive 
word  than  our  soid,  as  commonly  understood. 

21.  'pin  long  creature,  a  comprehensive  genus,  including  vast  fishes, 
serpents,  dragons,  crocodiles ;  r.  stretch. 

22.  Ti"^  breah,  kneel ;  bless. 

20.  Then  said  God,  Let  the  waters  abound  with  the  crawler 
that  has  breath  and  life,  and  let  fowl  fly  above  the  earth,  upon 
the  face  of  the  expanse  of  the  skies.  21.  Then  created  God 
the  great  fishes  and  every  living  breathing  thing  that  creepcth, 
with  which  the  waters  abounded  after  their  kind,  and  every 
bird  of  wing  after  its  kind :  then  saw  God  that  it  was  good. 
22.  Then  blessed  them  God,  saying,  Be  fruitful,  and  multiply, 
and  1111  the  waters  in  the  seas,  and  let  the  fowl  multiply  in  the 
land.    2o.  Then  vras  evening,  then  Avas  morning,  day  fifth.  \  h. 


GEN.  I.  20-23.  59 

The  solitude  (^nia),  the  last  and  greatest  defect  in  the  state  of  the 
earth,  is  now  to  be  removed  by  the  creation  of  the  various  animals  that 
are  to  inhabit  it  and  partake  of  its  vegetable  productions. 

On  the  second  day  the  Creator  was  occupied  with  the  task  of  reduc- 
ing the  air  and  water  to  a  habitable  state.  And  now  on  the  corre- 
sponding day  of  the  second  three  he  calls  into  existence  the  inhabitants 
of  these  two  elements.  Accordingly  the  animal  kingdom  is  divided 
into  three  parts  in  reference  to  the  regions  to  be  inhabited,  —  fishes, 
birds,  and  land  animals.  The  fishes  and  birds  are  created  on  tliis  day. 
The  fishes  seem  to  be  regarded  as  the  lowest  type  of  living  creatures. 

They  are  here  subdivided  only  into  the  monsters  of  the  deep  and  the 
smaller  species  that  swarm  in  the  waters. 

20.  The  crawler  {^y'S)  includes  apparently  all  animals  that  have 
short  or  no  legs,  and  are  therefore  unable  to  raise  themselves  above 
the  soiL  The  aquatic  and  most  amphibious  animals  come  under  this 
class.  The  craivlcr  of  living  breath,  having  breath,  motion,  and  sensa- 
tion, the  ordinary  indications  of  animal  life.  Abound  loith.  As  in  the 
11th  verse  we  have,  Let  the  earth  grow  grass  (xdT  x^'-in),  so  here  we 
have.  Let  the  waters  crawl  with  the  crawler  ('f^'^.  ^-i^.'^"";)  ;  the  verb 
and  noun  having  the  same  root.  The  waters  are  here  not  the  cause 
but  the  element  of  the  fish,  as  the  air  of  the  fowl.  Fowl,  every  thing 
that  has  wings.  The  face  of  the  expanse.  The  expanse  is  here  proved 
to  be  aerial  or  spatial ;  not  solid,  as  the  fowl  can  fly  on  it. 

21.  Created.  Here  the  author  uses  this  word  for  the  second  time. 
In  the  selection  of  diiferent  words  to  express  the  divine  operation,  two 
considerations  seem  to  have  guided  the  author's  pen,  —  variety  and 
propriety  of  diction.  The  diversity  of  words  appears  to  indicate  a  di- 
versity in  the  mode  of  exercising  the  divine  power.  On  the  first  day 
(v.  3)  a  new  admission  of  light  into  a  darkened  region,  by  the  partial 
rarefaction  of  the  intervening  medium,  is  expressed  by  the  word  "  be." 
This  may  denote  that  which  already  existed,  but  not  in  that  place. 
On  the  second  day  (v.  6,  7)  a  new  disposition  of  the  air  and  the  water 
is  described  by  the  verbs  "  be  "  and  "  make."  These  indicate  a  modi- 
fication of  that  which  already  existed.  On  the  third  day  (v.  9,  11)  no 
verb  is  directly  applied  to  the  act  of  divine  power.  This  agency  is 
thus  understood,  while  the  natural  changes  following  are  expressly 
noticed.  In  the  fourth  (v.  14,  IG,  17)  the  words  "be,"  "make,"  and 
"  give  "  occur,  where  the  matter  in  hand  is  the  manifestation  of  the 
heavenly  bodies  and  their  adaptation  to  the  use  of  man.  In  these 
cases  it  is  evident  that  the  word  "  create  "  would  have  been  only  im- 


60  THE  SDvTH  DAY. 

properly  or  indirectly  applicable  to  the  action  of  the  Eternal  Being. 
Here  it  is  emjjloyed  with  propriety ;  as  the  animal  world  is  something 
new  and  distinct  summoned  into  existence.  It  is  manifest  from  this  re- 
view that  variety  of  expression  has  resulted  from  attention  to  propriety. 

Great  jlshes.  Monstrous  crawlers  that  wriggle  through  the  water 
or  scud  along  the  banks.  Every  living,  breathing  thing  that  creeps. 
The  smaller  animals  of  the  water  and  its  banks.  Bird  of  loing.  Here 
the  wing  is  made  characteristic  of  the  class,  which  extends  beyond  what 
we  call  birds.     The  Maker  inspects  and  approves  his  work. 

22.  Blessed  them.  We  are  brought  into  a  new  sphere  of  creation  on 
this  day,  and  we  meet  with  a  new  act  of  the  Almighty.  To  bless  is  to 
wish,  and,  in  the  case  of  God,  to  will  some  good  to  the  object  of  the 
blessing.  The  blessing  here  pronounced  upon  the  fish  and  the  fowl  is 
that  of  abundant  increase.  Bear.  This  refers  to  the  propagation  of 
the  species.  Multiply.  This  notifies  the  abundance  of  the  ofi'spring. 
Fill  the  waters.  Let  them  be  fully  stocked.  In  the  seas.  The  sea 
of  Scripture  includes  the  lake,  and,  by  parity  of  reason,  the  rivers, 
which  are  the  feeders  of  both.  This  blessing  seems  to  indicate  that, 
whereas  in  the  case  of  some  plants  many  individuals  of  the  same 
species  were  simultaneously  created,  so  as  to  produce  a  universal  cov- 
ering of  verdure  lor  the  land  and  an  abundant  supply  of  aliment  for 
the  animals  about  to  be  created,  —  in  regard  to  these  animals  a  single 
pair  only,  at  all  events  of  the  larger  kinds,  was  at  first  called  into  be- 
ing, from  which,  by  the  potent  blessing  of  the  Creator,  was  propagated 
the  multitude  by  which  the  waters  and  the  air  were  peopled. 

Vlir.    THE  SIXTH  DAY.  —  Gen.  i.  24-31. 

24.  nrria  cattle,  dumb,  tame  beasts. 

i!j^n  creeping,  small  or  low  animals. 

n*n  living  tliivg,  animal. 

ynxHTil^n  loild  beast. 
26.  D"ix  man,  manldnd  ;  r.  be  red.  A  collective  noun,  having  no 
plural  number,  and  therefore  denoting  cither  an  individual  of  the  kind, 
or  the  kind  or  race  itself.  It  is  connected  in  etymology  with  fi^^N  the 
red  soil,  from  which  the  human  body  was  formed  (Gen.  ii.  7).  It 
therefore  marks  the  earthly  aspect  of  man. 

dVj;  shade,  image,  in  visible  outline. 

nii'2'i  likeness,  in  any  quality. 

m^i  tread,  rule. 


GEK  I.  24-31.  61 

24.  Then  said  God,  Let  the  land  bring  forth  living  breath- 
ing thing  after  its  kind,  cattle,  and  creeper,  and  beast  of  the 
land  after  its  kind :  and  it  was  so.  25.  Then  made  God  the 
beast  of  the  land  after  its  kind,  and  the  cattle  after  their  kind, 
and  ever}^  creeper  of  the  soil  after  its  kind  :  then  saw  God  that 
it  was  good.  ^ 

26.  Then  said  God,  Let  us  make  man  in  our  image  after 
our  likeness  :  and  let  them  rule  over  the  fish  of  the  sea,  and 
over  the  fowl  of  the  skies,  and  over  the  cattle,  and  over  all  the 
land,  and  over  every  creeper  that  creepeth  upon  the  land. 
27.  Then  created  God  the  man  in  his  image :  in  the  image  of 
God  created  he  him  :  male  and  female  created  he  them.  28. 
Then  blessed  them  God,  and  said  unto  them  God,  Bo  fruitful, 
and  multiply,  and  fill  the  land,  and  subdue  it ;  and  rule  over 
the  fish  of  the  sea,  and  over  the  fowl  of  the  skies,  and  over 
every  living  thing  that  creepeth  upon  the  land.  29.  Then 
said  God,  Lo,  I  have  given  you  every  herb  yielding  seed,  which 
is  upon  the  face  of  all  the  land,  and  every  tree,  in  which  is  the 
fruit  of  a  tree  yielding  seed  :  to  you  shall  it  be  for  food.  80. 
And  to  every  beast  of  the  land,  and  to  every  fowl  of  the  skies, 
and  to  every  thing  that  creepeth  upon  tlie  land,  wherein  is 
living  breath,  every  green  herb  for  food  :  and  it  was  so.  31. 
Then  saw  God  everything  that  he  had  made,  and  lo,  it  was 
very  good.  Then  was  evening,  then  was  morning,  day  the 
sixth.  H  G. 


This  day  corresponds  with  the  third.  In  both  the  land  is  the  sphere 
of  operation.  In  both  are  performed  two  acts  of  creative  power.  In 
the  third  the  land  was  clothed  Avith  vegetation :  in  the  sixth  it  is  peo- 
pled with  the  animal  kingdom.  First,  the  lower  animals  are  called 
into  being,  and  then,  to  crown  all,  man. 

24,  25.  This  branch  of  the  animal  world  is  divided  into  three 
parts.  "  Living  breathing  thing  "  is  the  general  head  under  which  all 
these  are  comprised.  "  Cattle  "  denotes  the  animals  that  dwell  with 
man,  especially  those  that  bear  burdens.  The  same  term  in  the  orig- 
inal, when  there  is  no  contrast,  when  in  the  plural  number  or  with  the 


62  THE  SIXTH  DAY. 

specification  of  "  the  land,"  the  "  field,"  is  used  of  wild  beasts.  "  Creep- 
ing things  "  evidentlj  denote  the  smaller  animals,  from  which  the  cattle 
are  distinguished  as  the  large.  The  quality  of  creeping  is,  however, 
applied  sometimes  to  denote  the  motion  of  the  lower  animals  with  the 
body  in  a  prostrate  posture,  in  opposition  to  the  erect  posture  of  man 
(Ps.  civ.  20).  The  "  beast  of  the  land  "  or  the  field  signifies  the  wild 
rapacious  animal  that  lives  apart  from  man.  ^The  word  n^n  beast 
or  animal,  is  the  general  term  employed  in  these  verses  for  the 
whole  animal  kind.  It  signifies  wild  animal  with  certainty  only  when 
it  is  accompanied  by  the  qualifying  term  "  land  "  or  "  field,"  or  the 
epithet  "  evil  "  (l^^'")-  From  this  division  it  appears  that  animals  that 
prey  on  others  were  included  in  this  latest  creation.  This  is  an  ex- 
tension of  tliat  law  by  which  the  organic  living  substances  of  the  vege- 
table kingdom  form  the  sustenance  of  the  animal  species.  25.  The 
execution  of  the  divine  mandate  is  then  recorded,  and  the  result  in- 
spected and  approved. 

26,  27.  Here  we  evidently  enter  upon  a  higher  scale  of  being. 
This  is  indicated  by  the  counsel  or  common  resolve  to  create,  which  is 
now  for  the  first  time  introduced  into  the  narrative.  When  the  Crea- 
tor says,  "  Let  us  make  man,"  he  calls  attention  to  the  work  as  one  of 
preeminent  importance.  At  the  same  time  he  sets  it  before  him- 
self as  a  thing  undertaken  with  deliberate  purpose.  Moi'eover,  in 
the  former  mandates  of  creation  his  words  had  regard  to  the  thing 
itself  that  was  summoned  into  being  ;  as,  "  Let  there  be  light ;  "  or  to 
some  preiixistent  object  that  was  physically  connected  with  the  new 
creature ;  as,  "  Let  the  landhv'mg  forth  grass."  But  now  the  language 
of  the  fiat  of  creation  ascends  to  the  Creator  himself:  Let  us  make 
man.  This  intimates  that  the  new  being  in  its  higher  nature  is  as- 
sociated not  so  much  with  any  part  of  creation  as  with  the  Eternal 
Uncreated  himself. 

The  plural  form  of  the  sentence  raises  the  question,  With  whom 
took  he  counsel  on  this  occasion  ?  Was  it  with  himself,  and  does  he 
here  simply  use  the  plural  of  majesty  ?  Such  was  not  the  usual  style 
of  monarchs  in  tlie  ancient  East.  Pharaoh  says,  "/  have  dreamed  a 
dream"  (Gen.  xli.  15).  Nebuchadnezzar,  "/have  dreamed"  (Dan. 
ii.  3).  Darius  the  Mcde,  "  /  make  a  decree  "  (Dan.  vi.  26).  Cyrus, 
"  The  Lord  God  of  heaven  hath  given  me  all  the  kingdoms  of  the 
earth"  (Ezra  i.  2).  Darius,  "/make  a  decree"  (Ezra  vi.  8).  We 
have  no  ground,  therelbre,  for  transferring  it  to  the  style  of  the  hea- 
venly King.     Was  it  with  certain  other  intelligent  beings  in  existence 


GEN.  I.  24-31. 


63 


before  man  that  he  took  counsel  ?  This  supposition  cannot  be  admit- 
ted; because  the  expression  "  let  us  mahe  "  is  an  invitation  to  create, 
which  is  an  incommunicable  attribute  of  the  Eternal  One,  and  because 
the  phrases,  "  our  image,  our  likeness,"  when  transferred  into  the  third 
person  of  narrative,  become  "  his  image,  the  image  of  God"  and  thus 
limit  the  pronouns  to  God  himself.  Does  the  plurality,  then,  point  to 
a  plurality  of  attributes  in  the  divine  nature  ?  This  cannot  be,  because 
a  plurahty  of  qualities  exists  in  everything,  without  at  all  leading  to  the 
application  of  the  plural  number  to  the  individual,  and  because  such  a 
plurality  does  not  warrant  the  expression,  "  let  us  make."  Only  a 
plurality  of  persons  can  justify  the  phrase.  Hence  Ave  are  forced  to 
conclude  that  the  plural  pronoun  indicates  a  plurality  of  persons  or 
hypostases  in  the  Divine  Being.     (See  p.  27.) 

26.  Man.  Man  is  a  new  species,  essentially  different  from  all 
other  kinds  on  earth.  In  our  image,  after  our  likeness.  He  is  to  be 
allied  to  heaven  as  no  other  creature  on  earth  is.  lie  is  to  be  related 
to  the  Eternal  Being  himself.  This  relation,  however,  is  to  be  not  in 
matter,  but  in  form  ;  not  in  essence,  but  in  semblance.  This  precludes 
all  pantheistic  notions  of  the  origin  of  man.  "  Image  "  is  a  word  taken 
from  sensible  things,  and  denotes  Ukeness  in  outward  form,  Vv^hile  the 
material  may  be  different.  "  Likeness  "  is  a  more  general  term,  indi- 
cating resemblance  in  any  quality,  external  or  internal.  It  is  here 
explanatory  of  image,  and  seems  to  show  that  this  term  is  to  be  taken 
in  a  figurative  sense,  to  denote  not  a  material  but  a  spiritual  conformity 
to  God.  The  Eternal  Being  is  essentially  self-manifesting.  The 
appearance  he  pi-esents  to  an  eye  fitted  to  contemplate  him  is  his 
image.  The  union  of  attributes  which  constitute  his  spiritual  nature 
is  his  character  or  likeness. 

We  gather  from  the  present  chapter  that  God  is  a  spirit  (Gen.  i.  2), 
that  he  thinks,  speaks,  wills,  and  acts  (Gen.  i.  3,  4,  etc.).  Here,  then,  are 
the  great  points  of  conformity  to  God  in  man,  namely,  reason,  speech^ 
will,  and  power.  By  reason  we  apprehend  concrete  things  in  perception 
and  consciousness,  and  cognize  abstract  truth,  both  metaphysical  and 
tooral.  By  speech  we  make  certain  easy  and  sensible  acts  of  our  own 
the  signs  of  the  various  objects  of  our  contemplative  faculties  to  oui-- 
selves  and  others.  By  will  we  choose,  determine,  and  resolve  upon 
what  is  to  be  done.  By  power  we  act,  either  in  giving  expression  to 
our  concepts  in  words,  or  effect  to  our  determinations  in  deeds.  In 
the  reason  is  evolved  the  distinction  of  good  and  evil  (Gen.  i.  4,  31), 
which  is  in  itself  the  approval  of  the  former  and  the  disapproval  of  the 


64  THE  SIXTH  DAY. 

latter.  In  the  will  is  unfolded  that  freedom  of  action  which  chooses 
the  good  and  refuses  the  evil.  In  the  spiritual  being  that  exercises 
reason  and  will  resides  the  power  to  act,  which  presupposes  both  these 
faculties,  —  the  reason  as  informing  the  will,  and  the  will  as  directing 
the  power.  This  is  that  form  of  God  in  which  he  has  created  man, 
and  condescends  to  communicate  with  him. 

And  let  them  rule.  The  relation  of  man  to  the  creature  is  now 
stated.  It  is  that  of  sovereignty.  Those  capacities  of  right  thinking, 
riglit  willing,  and  right  acting,  or  of  knowledge,  holiness,  and  righteous- 
ness, in  which  man  resembles  God,  qualify  him  for  dominion,  and 
constitute  him  lord  of  all  creatures  that  are  destitute  of  intellectual 
and  moral  endowments.  Hence,  wherever  man  enters  he  makes  his 
sway  to  be  felt.  He  contemplates  the  objects  around  him,  marks  their 
qualities  and  relations,  conceives  and  resolves  upon  the  end  to  be 
attained,  and  endeavors  to  make  all  things  within  his  reach  Avork 
together  for  its  accomplishment.  This  is  to  I'ule  on  a  limited  scale. 
The  field  of  his  dominion  is  "  the  fish  of  the  sea,  the  fowl  of  the  skies, 
the  cattle,  the  whole  land,  and  every  thing  that  creepeth  on  the  land." 
The  order  here  is  from  the  loAvest  to  the  highest.  The  fish,  the  fowl, 
are  beneath  the  domestic  cattle.  These  again  are  of  less  importance 
than  the  land,  which  man  tills  and  renders  fruitful  in  all  that  can  grat- 
ify his  appetite  or  his  taste.  The  last  and  greatest  victory  of  all  is 
over  the  wild  animals,  which  are  included  under  the  class  of  creepers 
that  are  prone  in  their  posture,  and  move  in  a  creeping  attitude  over 
the  land.  The  primeval  and  prominent  objects  of  human  sway  are 
here  brought  forward  after  the  manner  of  Scripture.  But  there  is  not 
an  object  within  the  ken  of  man  which  he  does  not  aim  at  making  sub- 
servient to  his  purposes..  He  has  made  the  sea  his  highway  to  the 
ends  of  the  earth,  the  stars  his  pilots  on  the  pathless  ocean,  the  sun 
his  bleacher  and  painter,  the  bowels  of  the  earth  the  treasury  from 
which  he  draws  his  precious  and  useful  metals  and  much  of  his  fuel, 
the  steam  his  motive  power,  and  the  lightning  his  messenger.  These 
are  proofs  of  the  evergrowing  sway  of  man. 

27.  Created.  Man  in  his  essential  part,  the  image  of  God  in 
him,  was  entirely  a  new  creation.  "We  discern  here  two  stages  in 
his  creation.  The  general  fact  is  stated  in  the  first  clause  of  the 
verse,  and  then  the  two  particulars.  "  In  the  image  of  God  created 
he  him."  This  is  the  primary  act,  in  which  his  relation  to  his 
Maker  is  made  prominent.  In  this  his  original  state  he  is  actually  one, 
as  God  in  whose  image  he  is  made  is  one.  "  Male  and  female  created  he 


GEN.  I.  24-31.  65 

them."  This  is  the  second  actor  step  in. his  formation.  He  is  now  no 
longer  one,  but  two,  —  the  maje  and  the  female.  His  adaptation  to  be 
the  head  of  a  race  is  hereby  completed.  This  second  stage  in  the  ex- 
istence of  man  is  more  circumstantially  described  hereafter  (Gen.  ii. 
21-25). 

28.  The  divine  blessing  is  now  pronounced  upon  man.  It  dif- 
fers from  that  of  the  lower  animals  chiefly  in  the  element  of  suprem- 
acy. Power  is  presumed  to  belong  to  man's  nature,  according  to  the 
counsel  of  the  Maker's  will  (v.  2G).  But  without  a  special  permission 
he  cannot  exercise  any  lawful  authority.  For  the  other  creatures  are 
as  independent  of  him  as  he  is  of  them.  As  creatures  he  and  they  are 
on  an  equal  footing,  and  have  no  natural  right  either  over  the  other. 
Hence  it  is  necessary  that  he  should  receive  from  high  heaven  a  formal 
charter  of  right  over  the  things  that  were  made  for  man.  He  is  there- 
fore authorized,  by  the  word  of  the  Creator,  to  exercise  his  power  in 
subduing  the  earth  and  ruling  over  the  animal  kingdom.  This  is  the 
meet  sequel  of  his  being  created  in  the  image  of  God.  Being  formed 
for  dominion,  the  earth  and  its  various  products  and  inhabitants  are 
assigned  to  him  for  the  display  of  his  powers.  The  subduing  and 
ruling  refer  not  to  the  mere  supply  of  his  natural  wants,  for  which 
provision  is  made  in  the  following  verse,  but  to  the  accomplishment  of 
his  various  purposes  of  science  and  beneficence,  whether  towards  the 
inferior  animals  or  his  own  race.  It  is  the  part  of  intellectual  and 
moral  reason  to  employ  power  for  the  ends  of  general  no  less  than  per- 
sonal good.     The  sway  of  man  ought  to  be  beneficent. 

29,  30.  Every  herb  bearing  seed  and  tree  bearing  fruit  is  granted 
to  man  for  his  sustenance.  With  our  habits  it  may  seem  a  matter  of 
course  that  each  should  at  once  appropriate  that  which  he  needs  of 
things  at  his  hand.  But  in  the  beginning  of  existence  it  could  not  be 
so.  Of  two  things  proceeding  from  the  same  creative  hand  neither 
has  any  original  or  inherent  right  to  interfere  in  any  way  whatever 
with  the  other.  The  absolute  right  to  each  lies  in  the  Creator  alone. 
The  one,  it  is  true,  may  need  the  other  to  support  its  life,  as  fruit  is 
needful  to  man.  And  therefore  the  just  Creator  cannot  make  one 
creature  dependent  for  subsistence  on  another  without  granting  to  it 
the  use  of  that  other.  But  this  is  a  matter  between  Creator  and  crea- 
ture, not  by  any  means  between  creature  and  creature.  Hence  it  was 
necessary  to  the  rightful  adjustment  of  things,  whenever  a  rational 
creature  was  ushered  into  the  world,  that  the  Creator  should  give  an 
express  permission  to  that  creature  to  partake  of  the  fruits  of  the 

9 


G6  THE  SDiTH  DAY. 

earth.  And  in  harmony  with  this  view  we  shall  hereafter  find  an  ex- 
ception made  to  this  general  grant  (Gen.  ii.  17).  Thus,  we  perceive, 
the  necessity  of  this  formal  grant  of  the  use  of  certain  creatures  to 
moral  and  responsible  man  lies  deep  in  the  nature  of  things.  And 
the  sacred  writer  here  hands  down  to  us  from  the  mists  of  a  hoary  an- 
tiquity the  primitive  deed  of  conveyance,  which  lies  at  the  foundation 
of  the  the  common  property  of  man  in  the  earth,  and  all  that  it  contains. 
The  whole  vegetable  world  is  assigned  to  the  animals  for  food.  In 
the  terms  of  the  original  grant  the  herb  bearing  seed  and  the  tree 
bearing  fruit  are  especially  allotted  to  man,  because  the  grain  and  the 
fruit  were  edible  by  man  without  much  preparation.  As  usual  in 
Scripture  the  chief  parts  are  put  for  the  whole,  and  accordingly  this 
specification  of  the  ordinary  and  the  obvious  cover§  the  general  princi- 
ple that  whatever  part  of  the  vegetable  kingdom  is  convertible  into 
food  by  the  ingenuity  of  man  is  free  for  his  use.  It  is  plain  that  a 
vegetable  diet  alone  is  expressly  conceded  to  man  in  this  original  con- 
veyance, and  it  is  probable  that  this  alone  was  designed  for  him  in  the 
state  in  which  he  was  created.  But  we  must  bear  in  mind  that  he 
was  constituted  master  of  the  animal  as  well  as  of  the  vegetable  Avorld  ; 
and  we  cannot  positively  affirm  that  his  dominion  did  not  involve  the 
use  of  them  for  food. 

30.  The  whole  of  the  grasses  and  the  green  parts  or  leaves  of 
the  herbage  arc  distributed  among  the  inferior  animals  for  food.  Here, 
again,  the  common  and  prominent  kind  of  sustenance  only  is  specified. 
There  are  some  animals  that  greedily  devour  the  fruits  of  trees  and 
the  grahi  produced  by  the  various  herbs ;  and  there  are  others  that 
derive  the  most  of  their  subsistence  from  preying  on  the  smaller  and 
weaker  kinds  of  animals.  Still,  the  main  substance  of  the  means  of 
animal  life,  and  the  ultimate  supply  of  the  whole  of  it,  are  derived 
from  the  plant.  Even  this  general  statement  is  not  to  be  received 
without  exception,  as  there  are  certain  lower  descriptions  of  animals  that 
derive  sustenance  even  from  the  mineral  world.  But  this  brief  narra- 
tive of  things  notes  only  the  few  palpable  facts,  leaving  the  details  to 
the  experience  and  judgment  of  the  reader. 

31.  Here  we  have  the  general  review  and  approval  of  everything 
God  had  made,  at  the  close  of  the  six  days'  work  of  creation.  Man,  as 
well  as  other  things,  was  very  good  when  he  came  from  his  Maker's 
hand  ;  but  good  as  yet  untried,  and  therefore  good  in  capacity  rather 
than  in  victory  over  temptation.  It  remains  yet  to  be  seen  whether 
Jie  will  be  eood  in  act  and  habit. 


GEN.  I.  24-31.  67 

This  completes,  then,  the  restoration  of  that  order  and  fuhiess  the 
absence  of  which  is  described  in  the  second  verse.  The  account  of 
the  six  days'  work,  therefore,  is  the  counterpart  of  that  verse.  The 
six  days  fall  into  two  threes,  corresponding  to  each  other  in  the  course 
of  events.  The  first  and  fourth  days  refer  principally  to  the  dai-kness 
on  the  face  of  the  deep ;  the  second  and  fifth  to  the  disorder  and  emp- 
tiness of  the  aerial  and  aqueous  elements ;  and  the  third  and  sixth  to 
the  similar  condition  of  the  land.  Again,  the  first  three  days  refer  to 
a  lower,  the  second  three  to  a  higher  order  of  things.  On  the  first  the 
darkness  on  the  face  of  the  earth  is  removed ;  on  the  fourth  that  on 
the  face  of  the  sky.  On  the  second  the  water  is  distributed  above  and 
below  the  expanse  ;  on  the  fifth  the  living  natives  of  these  regions  ai-e 
called  into  being.  On  the  third  the  plants  rooted  in  the  soil  are  made ; 
on  the  sixth  the  animals  that  move  freely  over  it  are  brought  into 
existence. 

This,  chapter  shows  the  folly  and  sin  of  the  worship  of  light,  of  sun, 
moon,  or  star,  of  air  or  water,  of  plant,  of  fish  or  fowl,  of  earth,  of 
cattle,  creeping  thing  or  wild  beast,  or,  finally,  of  man  himself ;  as  all 
these  are  but  the  creatures  of  the  one  Eternal  Spirit,  who,  as  the 
Creator  of  all,  is  alone  to  be  worshipped  by  his  intelligent  creatui'es. 

This  chapter  is  also  to  be  read  with  wonder  and  adoration  by  man  ; 
as  he  finds  himself  to  be  constituted  lord  of  the  earth,  next  in  rank 
under  the  Creator  of  all,  formed  in  the  image  of  his  Maker,  and  there- 
fore capable  not  only  of  studying  the  works  of  nature,  but  of  contem- 
plating and  reverently  communing  with  the  Author  of  nature. 

In  closing  the  interpretation  of  this  chapter,  it  is  proper  to  refer  to 
certain  first  principles  of  hermeneutical  science.  First,  that  interpre- 
tation only  is  valid  which  is  true  to  the  meaning  of  the  author.  The 
very  first  rule  on  which  the  interpreter  is  bound  to  proceed  is  to  assign 
to  each  word  the  meaning  it  commonly  bore  in  the  time  of  the  writer. 
This  is  the  prime  key  to  the  works  of  every  ancient  author,  if  we  can 
only  discover  it.  The  next  is  to  give  a  consistent  meaning  to  the 
whole  of  that  which  was  composed  at  one  time  or  in  one  place  by  the 
author.  The  presumption  is  that  there  was  a  reasonable  consistency 
of  thought  in  his  mind  during  one  effort  of  composition.  A  third  rule 
is  to  employ  faithfully  and  discreetly  whatever  we  can  learn  concerning 
the  time,  place,  and  other  circumstances  of  the  author  to  the  elucida- 
tion of  his  meaning. 

And,  in  the  second  place,  the  interpretation  now  given  claims  accept- 
ance on  the  ground  of  its  internal  and  external  consistency  with  truth. 


68  THE  SIXTH  DAY. 

1st.  It  exliibits  the  consistency  of  the  whole  narrative  in  itself.  It 
acknowledges  the  narrative  character  of  the  first  verse.  It  assigns  an 
essential  significance  to  the  words,  "  the  heavens,"  in  that  verse.  It 
attributes  to  the  second  verse  a  prominent  place  and  function  in  the 
arrangement  of  the  record.  It  places  the  special  creative  work  of  the 
six  days  in  due  subordination  to  the  absolute  creation  recorded  in  the 
first  verse.  It  gathers  information  from  the  primitive  meanings  of  the 
names  that  are  given  to  certain  objects,  and  notices  the  subsequent 
development  of  these  meanings.  It  accounts  for  the  manifestation  of 
light  on  the  first  day,  and  of  the  luminaries  of  heaven  on  the  fourth, 
and  traces  the  orderly  steps  of  a  majestic  climax  throughout  the  nar- 
rative. It  is  in  harmony  with  the  usage  of  speech  as  far  as  it  can  be 
known  to  us  at  the  pi'esent  day.  It  assigns  to  the  words  "  heavens," 
"  earth,"  "  expanse,"  "  day,"  no  greater  latitude  of  meaning  than  was 
then  customary.  It  allows  for  the  diversity  of  phraseology  employed 
in  describing  the  acts  of  creative  power.  It  sedulously  refrains  from 
importing  modern  notions  into  the  narrative. 

2d.  The  narrative  thus  interpreted  is  in  striking  harmony  with  the 
dictates  of  reason  and  the  axioms  of  philosophy  concerning  the  essence 
of  God  and  the  nature  of  man.     On  this  it  is  unnecessary  to  dwell. 

3d.  It  is  equally  consistent  with  human  science.  It  substantially 
accords  with  the  present  state  of  astronomical  science.  It  recognizes, 
as  far  as  can  be  expected,  the  relative  importance  of  the  heavens  and 
the  earth,  the  existence  of  the  heavenly  bodies  from  the  beginning  of 
time,  the  total  and  then  the  partial  absence  of  light  from  the  face  of  the 
deep,  as  the  local  result  of  physical  causes.  It  allows,  also,  if  it  Avere 
necessary,  between  the  original  creation,  recorded  in  the  first  verse, 
and  the  state  of  things  described  in  the  second,  the  interval  of  time 
required  for  the  light  of  the  most  distant  discoverable  star  to  reach  the 
earth.  No  such  interval,  however,  could  be  absolutely  necessary,  as 
the  Creator  could  as  easily  establish  the  luminous  connection  of  the 
different  orbs  of  heaven  as  summon  into  being  the  element  of  light 
itself. 

4th.  It  is  also  in  harmony  with  the  elementary  facts  of  geological 
knowledge.  The  land,  as  understood  by  the  ancient  author,  may  be 
limited  to  that  portion  of  the  earth's  surface  which  was  known  to  ante- 
diluvian man.  The  elevation  of  an  extensive  tract  of  land,  the  subsi- 
dence of  the  overlying  watex's  into  the  comparative  hollows,  the  clari- 
fying of  the  atmosphere,  the  creation  of  a  fresh  supply  of  plants  and 
animal's  on  the  newly-formed  continent,  compose  a  series  of  changes 


GEN.  II.  1-3.  69 

■wliicli  meet  tlie  geologist  again  and  again  in  prosecuting  liis  researches 
into  the  bowels  of  the  earth.  What  part  of  the  land  was  submerged 
when  the  new  soil  emerged  from  the  waters,  how  far  the  shock  of  the 
plutonic  or  volcanic  forces  may  have  been  felt,  whether  the  alteration 
of  level  extended  to  the  whole  solid  crust  of  the  earth,  or  only  to  a 
certain  region  surrounding  the  cradle  of  mankind,  the  record  before  us 
does  not  determine.  It  merely  describes  in  a  few  graphic  touches,  that 
are  strikingly  true  to  nature,  the  last  of  those  geologic  changes  which 
our  globe  has  undergone. 

5th.  It  is  in  keeping,  as  far  as  it  goes,  with  the  facts  of  botany,  zo- 
ology, and  ethnology. 

Gth.  It  agrees  with  the  cosmogonies  of  all  nations,  so  far  as  these 
are  founded  upon  a  genuine  tradition  and  not  upon  the  mere  conjec- 
tures of  a  lively  fancy. 

Finally,  it  has  the  singular  and  superlative  merit  of  drawing  the 
diurnal  scenes  of  that  creation  to  which  our  race  owes  its  origin  in  the 
simple  language  of  common  life,  and  presenting  each  transcendent 
change  as  it  would  appear  to  an  ordinary  spectator  standing  on  the 
earth.  It  was  thus  sufficiently  intelligible  to  primeval  man,  and  remains 
to  this  day  intelligible  to  us,  as  soon  as  we  divest  ourselves  of  the  nar- 
rowing preconceptions  of  our  modern  civilization. 


IX.    THE  SEVENTH  DAT.  —  Gen.  ii.  1-3. 

1.  Ksa  a  host  in  marcJmig  order,  a  company  of  persons  or  things  in 
the  order  of  their  nature  and  the  progressive  discharge  of  their  func- 
tions. Hence  it  is  applied  to  the  starry  host  (Deut.  iv.  19),  to  the 
angelic  host  (1  Kings  xsii.  19),  to  the  host  of  Israel  (Exod.  xii.  41), 
and  to  the  ministering  Levites  (Num.  iv.  23).     koo-/x.os. 

2.  •'"'^^Ti'n .  Here  '^'dtr}  is  read  by  Sam.,  LXX.,  Syr.,  and  Josephus. 
The  Masoretic  reading,  however,  is  preferable,  as  the  sixth  day  was 
completed  in  the  preceding  paragraph  :  to  finish  a  work  on  the  seventh 
day  is,  in  Hebrew  phrase,  not  to  do  any  part  of  it  on  that  day,  but  to 
cease  from  it  as  a  thing  already  finished ;  and  "  resting,"  in  the  subse- 
quent part  of  the  verse,  is  distinct  from  "  finishing,"  being  the  positive 
of  which  the  latter  is  the  negative. 

rai^  rest,    'yqi  sit. 

3.  'i::"!;^  he  separate,  clean,  holy,  set  apart  for  a  sacred  use. 


70  THE  SEVENTH  DAY. 

IT.  1.  Then  were  finished  the  heavens  and  the  earth  and 
all  the  host  of  them.  2.  Then  finished  God  on  the  seventh 
day  his  work  which  he  had  made ;  and  rested  on  the  seventh 
day  from  all  his  work  whicli  he  had  made.  3.  Then  blessed 
God  the  seventh  day  and  hallowed  ft ;  because  in  it  he  had 
rested  from  all  his  work,  which  created  had  God  to  make.  1  7. 

In  this*  section  we  have  the  institution  of  the  day  of  rest,  the  Sab- 
bath (rise),  on  the  cessation  of  God  from  his  creative  activity. 

1.  And  all  the  host  of  them.  All  the  array  of  luminaries,  j^lants,  and 
animals  by  which  the  darkness,  waste,  and  solitude  of  sky  and  land 
were  removed,  has  now  been  called  into  unhindered  action  or  new  ex- 
istence. The  whole  is  now  finished  ;  that  is,  perfectly  fitted  at  length 
for  the  convenience  of  man,  the  high-born  inhabitant  of  this  fair  scene. 
Since  the  absolute  beginning  of  things  the  earth  may  have  undergone 
nmny  changes  of  climate  and  surface  before  it  was  adapted  for  the  res- 
idence of  man.  But  it  has  received  the  finishing  touch  in  these  last 
six  days.  These  days  accordingly  are  to  man  the  only  period  of  crea- 
tion, since  the  beginning  of  time,  of  special  or  personal  interest.  The 
preceding  interval  of  progressive  development  and  periodical  creation 
is,  in  regard  to  him,  condensed  into  a  point  of  time.  The  creative  work 
of  the  six  days  is  accoi'dingly  called  the  "  making,"  or  fitting  up  for 
man  of  "  the  skies  and  the  land  and  the  sea,  and  all  that  in  them  is  " 
(Exod.  XX.  (11)  10). 

2.  The7i  finished.  To  finish  a  work,  in  Hebrew  conception,  is  to 
cease  from  it,  to  have  done  with  it.  On  the  seventh  day.  The  seventh 
day  is  distinguished  from  all  the  preceding  days  by  being  itself  the 
subject  of  the  narrative.  In  the  absence  of  any  work  on  this  day,  the 
Eternal  is  occupied  with  the  day  itself,  and  does  four  things  in  refer- 
ence to  it.  First,  he  ceased  from  his  work  which  he  had  made.  Sec- 
ondly, he  rested.  By  this  was  indicated  that  his  undertaking  was 
accom[)lished.  When  nothing  more  remains  to  be  done,  the  purposing 
agent  rests  contented.  The  resting  of  God  arises  not  from  weariness, 
but  from  the  completion  ,of  his  task.  He  is  refreshed,  not  by  the  re- 
cruiting of  his  strength,  but  by  the  satisfaction  of  having  before  him  a 
finished  good  (Exod.  xxxi.  17). 

3.  Thirdly,  he  blessed  the  seventh  day.  Blessing  results  in  the 
bestowment  of  some  good  on  the  object  blessed.  The  only  good  that 
can  be  bestowed  on  a  portion  of  time  is  to  dedicate  it  to  a  noble  use, 


GEN.  11.  1-3.  71 

a  peculiar  and  pleasing  enjoyment.  Accordingly,  in  the  fourth  place, 
he  hallowed  it  or  set  it  apart  to  a  holy  rest.  This  consecration  is  the 
blessing  conferred  on  the  seventh  day.  It  is  devoted  to  the  rest  that 
followed,  when  God's  work  was  done,  to  the  satisfaction  and  delight 
arising  from  the  consciousness  of  having  achieved  his  end,  and  from 
the  contemplation  of  the  good  he  has  realized.  Our  joy  on  such  occa- 
sions is  expressed  by  mutual  visitation,  congratulation,  and  hospitality. 
None  of  these  outward  demonstrations  is  mentioned  here,  and  would 
be,  so  far  as  the  Supreme  Being  is  concerned,  altogether  out  of  place. 
But  our  celebration  of  the  Sabbath  naturally  includes  the  holy  convo- 
cation or  solemn  meeting  together  in  joyful  mood  (Lev.  xxiii.  3),  the 
singing  of  songs  of  thanksgiving  in  commemoration  of  our  existence 
and  our  salvation  (Exod.  xx.  11  (10)  ;  Deut.  v.  15),  the  opening  of 
our  mouths  to  God  in  prayer,  and  the  opening  of  God's  mouth  to  us 
in  the  reading  and  preaching  of  the  Word.  The  sacred  rest  which 
characterizes  the  day  precludes  the  labor  and  bustle  of  hospitable  enter- 
tainment. But  the  Lord  at  set  times  spreads  for  us  his  table  laden 
with  the  touching  emblems  of  that  spiritual  fare  which  gives  eternal 
life. 

The  solemn  act  of  blessing  and  hallowing  is  the  institution  of  a  per- 
petual order  of  seventh-day  rest :  in  the  same  manner  as  the  blessmg 
of  the  animals  denoted  a  perpetuity  of  self-multiplication,  and  the 
blessing  of  man  indicated  further  a  perpetuity  of  dominion  over  the 
earth  and  its  products.  The  present  record  is  a  sufficient  pi-oof  that 
the  original  institution  Avas  never  forgotten  by  man.  If  it  had  ceased 
to  be  observed  by  mankind,  the  intervening  event  of  the  fall  would 
have  been  sufficient  to  account  for  its  discontinuance.  It  is  not,  in- 
deed, the  manner  of  Scripture,  especially  in  a  record  tliat  oiten  deals 
with  centuries  of  time,  to  note  the  ordinary  recurrence  of  a  seventh-day 
rest,  or  any  other  periodical  festival,  even  though  it  may  have  taken 
firm  hold  among  the  hereditary  customs  of  social  life.  Yet  incidental 
traces  of  the  keeping  of  the  Sabbath  are  found  in  the  record  of  the 
deluge,  when  the  sacred  writer  has  occasion  to  notice  short  intervals 
of  time.  The  measurement  of  time  by  weeks  then  appears  ( Gen.  viii. 
10,  12).  The  same  division  of  lime  again  comes  up  in  the  history  of 
Jacob  (Gen.  xxix.  27,  28).  This  unit  of  measure  is  traceable  to 
nothing  but  the  institution  of  the  seventh-day  rest. 

This  institution  is  a  new  evidence  that  we  have  arrived  at  the  stage 
of  rational  creatures.  The  number  of  days  employed  in  the  work  of 
creation  shows  that  we  are  come  to  the  times  of  man.     The  distinction 


72  THE  SEVENTH  DAY. 

of  times  would  have  no  meaning  to  the  irrational  world.  But  apart 
from  this  consideration,  the  seventh-day  rest  is  not  an  ordinance  of 
nature.  It  makes  no  mark  in  the  succession  of  physical  things.  It  has 
no  palpable  eflfect  on  the  merely  animal  Avorld.  The  sun  rises,  the 
moon  and  the  stars  pursue  their  course  ;  the  plants  grow,  the  flowei'S 
blow,  the  fruit  ripens  ;  the  brute  animal  seeks  its  food  and  provides  for 
its  young  on  this  as  on  other  days.  The  Sabbath,  therefore,  is  founded, 
not  in  nature,  but  in  history.  Its  periodical  return  is  marked  by  the 
numeration  of  seven  days.  It  appeals  not  to  instinct,  but  to  memoiy, 
to  intelligence.  A  reason  is  assigned  for  its  observance  ;  and  this 
itself  is  a  step  above  mere  sense,  an  indication  that  the  era  of  man  has 
begun.  The  reason  is  thus  expressed :  "•  Because  in  it  he  had  rested 
from  all  his  work."  This  reason  is  found  in  the  procedure  of  God ; 
and  God  himself,  as  well  as  all  his  ways,  man  alone  is  competent  in 
any  measure  to  apprehend. 

It  is  consonant  with  our  ideas  of  the  wisdom  and  righteousness  of 
God  to  believe  that  the  se-senth-day  rest  is  adjusted  to  the  physical 
nature  of  man  and  of  the  animals  which  he  domesticates  as  beasts  of 
labor.  But  this  is  subordinate  to  its  original  end,  the  commemoration 
of  the  completion  of  God's  ci*eative  vi^ork  by  a  sacred  rest,  which  has  a 
direct  bearing,  as  we  learn  from  the  record  of  its  institution,  on  meta- 
physical and  moral  distinctions. 

The  rest  here,  it  is  to  be  remembered,  is  God's  rest.  The  refresh- 
ment is  God's  refreshment,  which  arises  rather  from  the  joy  of  achieve- 
ment than  from  the  relief  of  fatigue.  Yet  the  work  in  which  God  was 
engaged  was  the  creation  of  man  and  the  previous  adaptation  of  the 
world  to  be  his  home.  Man's  rest,  therefore,  on  this  day  is  not  only 
an  act  of  communion  with  God  in  the  satisfaction  of  resting  after  his 
work  was  done,  but,  at  the  same  time,  a  thankful  commemoration  of 
that  auspicious  event  in  which  the  Almighty  gave  a  noble  origin  and  a 
happy  existence  to  the  human  race.  It  is  this  which,  even  apart  from 
its  divine  institution,  at  once  raises  the  Sabbath  above  all  human  com- 
memorative festivals,  and  imparts  to  it,  to  its  joys  and  to  its  modes  of 
expressing  them,  a  height  of  saci*edness  and  a  force  of  obligation  which 
cannot  belong  to  any  mere  human  arrangement. 

In  order  to  enter  upon  the  observance  of  this  day  with  intelligence, 
therefore,  it  was  necessary  that  the  human  pair  should  have  been 
acquainted  with  the  events  recoi-ded  in  the  preceding  chapter.  They 
must  have  been  informed  of  the  original  creation  of  all  things,  and 
therefore  of  the  eternal  existence  of  the  Creator.     They  must  further 


GEN.  11.  1-3.  73 

have  been  instructed  in  the  order  and  purpose  of  the  six  days'  crea- 
tion, by  which  the  laud  and  sky  were  fitted  up  for  the  residence  of 
man.  They  must  in  consequence  have  learned  that  they  themselves 
were  created  in  the  image  of  God,  and  intended  to  have  dominion  over 
all  the  animal  world.  This  information  would  fill  their  pure  and  in- 
fantile minds  with  thoughts  of  wonder,  gratitude,  and  complacential 
delight,  and  prepare  them  for  entering  upon  the  celebration  of  the 
seventh-day  rest  with  the  understanding  and  the  heart.  It  is  scarcely 
needful  to  add  that  this  was  the  first  full  day  of  the  newly-created  pair 
in  their  terrestrial  home.  This  would  add  a  new  historical  interest  to 
this  day  above  all  others.  "We  cannot  say  how  much  time  it  would 
take  to  make  the  parents  of  our  race  aware  of  the  meaning  of  all  these 
wondrous  events.  But  there  can  be  no  reasonable  doubt  that  he  who 
made  them  in  his  image  could  convey  into  their  minds  such  simple  and 
elementary  conceptions  of  the  origin  of  themselves  and  the  creatures 
around  them  as  would  enable  them  to  keep  even  the  first  Sabbath 
with  propriety.  And  these  conceptions  would  rise  into  more  enlarged, 
distinct,  and  adequate  notions  of  the  reality  of  things  along  with  the 
general  development  of  their  mental  faculties.  This  implies,  we  per- 
ceive, an  oral  revelation  to  the  very  first  man.  But  it  is  premature  to 
pursue  this  matter  any  further  at  present. 

The  recital  of  the  resting  of  God  on  this  day  is  not  closed  with  the 
usual  formula,  "and  evening  was,  and  morning  was,  day  seventh." 
The  reason  of  this  is  obvious.  In  the  former  days  the  occupation  of 
the  Eternal  Being  was  definitely  concluded  in  the  period  of  the  one 
day.  On  the  seventh  day,  however,  the  rest  of  the  Creator  was  only 
commenced,  has  thence  continued  to  the  present  hour,  and  will  not  be 
fully  completed  till  the  human  race  has  run  out  its  course.  When  the 
last  man  has  been  born  and  has  arrived  at  the  crisis  of  his  destiny, 
then  may  we  expect  a  new  creation,  another  putting  forth  of  the  di- 
vine energy,  to  prepare  the  skies  above  and  the  earth  beneath  for  a 
new  stage  of  man's  history,  in  which  he  will  appear  as  a  race  no  longer 
in  process  of  development,  but  completed  in  number,  confirmed  in 
moral  character,  ti-ansformed  in  physical  constitution,  and  so  adapted 
for  a  new  scene  of  existence.  Meanwhile,  the  interval  between  the 
creation  now  recorded  and  that  prognosticated  in  subsequent  revela- 
tions from  heaven  (Is,  Ixv.  17 ;  2  Pet.  iii.  13  ;  Rev.  xxi.  1)  is  the 
long  Sabbath  of  the  Almighty,  so  far  as  this  world  is  concerned,  in 
•which  he  serenely  contemplates  from  the  throne  of  his  providence  the 
strange  workings  and  strivings  of  that  intellectual  and  moral  race  he 


74  THE  SEVENTH  DAY. 

has  called  into  being,  the  ebbings  and  flowings  of  ethical  and  physical 
good  in  their  checkered  history,  and  the  final  destiny  to  which  each 
individual  in  the  unfettered  exercise  of  his  moral  freedom  is  incessantly 
advancing. 

Hence  v/e  gather  some  important  lessons  concerning  the  primeval 
design  of  the  Sabbath.  It  was  intended,  not  for  God  himself,  whose 
Sabbath  does  not  end  till  the  consummation  of  all  things,  but  for  man, 
whose  origin  it  commemorates  and  whose  end  it  foreshadows  (Mark 
ii.  27).  It  not  obscurely  hints  that  work  is  to  be  the  main  business  of 
man  in  the  present  stage  of  his  existence.  This  work  may  be  eitlier 
an  exhile rating  exercise  of  those  mental  and  corporeal  faculties  with 
which  lie  is  endowed,  or  a  toilsome  labor,  a  constant  struggle  for  the 
means  of  life,  according  to  the  use  he  may  make  of  his  inborn  lib- 
erty. 

But  between  the  sixfold  periods  of  work  is  interposed  the  day  of  rest, 
a  free  breathing  time  for  man,  in  wdiicli  he  may  recall  his  origin  from 
and  meditate  on  his  relationship  to  God.  It  lifts  him  out  of  the 
routine  of  mechanical  or  even  intellectual  labor  into  the  sphere  of 
conscious  leisure  and  occasional  participation  with  his  Maker  in  his 
perpetual  rest.  It  is  also  a  type  of  something  higher.  It  whispers 
into  his  soul  an  audible  presentiment  of  a  time  when  his  probationary 
career  will  be  over,  his  faculties  will  be  matured  by  the  experience 
and  the  education  of  time,  and  he  will  be  transformed  and  translated 
to  a  higher  stage  of  being,  where  he  will  hold  uninterrupted  fellowship 
with  his  Creator  in  the  perpetual  leisure  and  liberty  of  the  children 
of  God.  This  paragraph  completes  the  first  of  the  eleven  docuracnl's 
into  which  Genesis  is  separable,  and  the  first  grand  stage  in  the  nar- 
rative of  the  ways  of  God  with  man.  It  is  the  keystone  of  the  arch 
in  the  history  of  that  primeval  creation  to  which  we  belong.  The 
document  which  it  closes  is  distinguished  from  those  that  succeed  in 
several  important  respects  : 

First,  it  is  a  diary  ;  while  the  others  are  usually  arranged  in  gen- 
erations or  life-periods. 

Secondly,  it  is  a  complete  drama,  consisting  of  seven  acts  with  a  pro- 
logue. These  seven  stages  contain  two  triads  of  action,  which  match 
each  other  in  all  respects,  and  a  seventh  constituting  a  sort  of  epilogue 
or  completion  of  the  whole. 

Though  the  Scripture  takes  no  notice  of  any  significance  or  sacred- 
ness  inherent  in  particular  numbers,  yet  we  cannot  avoid  associating 
them  witii  the  objects  to  which  they  arc  prominently  applied.     The 


GEN.  II.  1-3.  <5 

number  one  is  peculifirly  applicable  to  the  unity  of  God.  Two,  the 
number  of  repetition,  is  expressive  of  emphasis  or  confirmation,  as  the 
two  witnesses.  Three  marks  the  three  persons  or  hypostases  in  God. 
Four  notes  the  four  quarters  of  the  world,  and  therefore  reminds  us  of 
the  physical  system  of  things,  or  the  cosmos.  Five  is  the  half  of  ten. 
the  whole,  and  the  basis  of  our  decimal  numeration.  Seven,  being 
composed  of  twice  three  and  one,  is  peculiarly  fitted  for  sacred  uses  ; 
being  the  sum  of  three  and  four,  it  points  to  the  communion  of  God 
with  man.  It  is,  therefore,  the  number  of  sacred  fellowship.  Twelve 
is  the  product  of  three  and  four,  and  points  to  the  reconcihation  of  God 
and  man:  it  is  therefore  the  number  of  the  church.  Twenty-two 
and  eleven,  being  the  whole  and  the  half  of  the  Hebrew  alphabet,  have 
somewhat  the  same  relation  as  ten  and  five.  Twenty-four  points  to 
the  New  Testament,  or  completed  church. 

The  other  documents  do  not  exhibit  the  sevenfold  structure,  though 
they  display  the  same  general  laws  of  composition.  They  are  ar- 
ranged according  to  a  plan  of  their  own,  and  are  all  remarkable  for 
their  simplicity,  order,  and  perspicuity. 

Thirdly,  the  matter  of  the  first  differs  from  that  of  the  others. 
The  first  is  a  record  of  creation  ;  the  others  of  development.  This  is 
sufficient  to  account  for  the  diversity  of  style  and  plan.  Each  piece  is 
admirably  adapted  to  the  topic  of  which  it  treats. 

Fourthly,  the  first  document  is  distinguished  from  the  second  by 
the  use  of  the  term  t!'^!^"l5J<  only  for  the  Supreme  Being.  This  name  is 
here  appropriate,  as  the  Everlasting  One  (p.26)here  steps  forth  from 
the  inscrutable  secrecy  of  his  immutable  perfection  to  crown  the  latest 
stage  of  our  planet's  history  with  a  new  creation  adapted  to  its  present 
conditions.  Before  all  creation  he  was  the  Everduring,  the  Un- 
changeable, and  therefore  the  blessed  and  only  Potentate,  dwelling 
with  himself  in  the  unapproachable  light  of  his  own  essential  glory 
(1  Tim.  vi,  15).  From  that  ineffable  source  of  all  being  came  forth 
the  free  fiat  of  creation.  After  that  transcendent  event,  He  who  was 
from  everlasting  to  everlasting  may  receive  new  names  expressive  of 
the  various  relations  in  which  he  stands  to  the  universe  of  created 
being.  But  before  this  relation  was  established  these  names  could 
have  no  existence  or  significance. 

Neither  this  last  nor  any  of  the  former  distinctions  affords  any  argu- 
ment for  diversity  of  authorship.  They  arise  naturally  out  of  the  diver- 
sity of  matter,  and  are  such  as  may  proceed  from  an  intelligent  author 


76  THE  SEVENTH  DAY. 

judiciously  adapting  his  style  and  plan  to  the  variety  of  his  topics.  At 
the  same  time,  identity  of  authorship  is  not  essential  to  the  historical 
validity  or  the  divine  authority  of  the  elementary  parts  that  are  incor- 
porated by  Moses  into  the  book  of  Genesis.  It  is  only  unnecessary  to 
multiply  authorship  without  a  cause. 


PART  II. 


THE      DEVELOPMENT, 


SECTION  IL  — THE  MAN. 

X.    THE  FIELD.  —  Gen.  ii.  4-7. 

4.  nil'p'In  generations,  2^^'oducts,  developments.  That  whicli  comes 
from  any  source,  as  the  child  from  the  parent,  the  record  of  which  is 
history. 

Siirri  This  word  occurs  about  six  thousand  times  in  Scripture.  It 
is  obvious  from  its  use  that  it  is,  so  to  speak,  the  proper  name  of  God. 
It  never  has  the  article.  It  is  never  changed  for  construction  with 
another  noun.  It  is  never  accompanied  with  9,  suffix.  It  is  never  ap- 
plied to  any  but  the  true  God.  This  sacred  exclusiveness  of  applica- 
tion, indeed,  led  the  Jews  to  read  always  in  place  of  it  "^iiix,  or,  if  this 
preceded  it,  Q'^H^X ,  to  intimate  which  the  vowel  points  of  one  of  these 
terms  were  subscribed  to  it.  The  root  of  this  name  is  n^ti ,  an  older 
variety  of  n^n ,  which,  as  we  have  seen  (p.  25),  has  three  meanings,  — 
he  in  the  sense  of  coming  into  existence,  he  in  that  of  becoming,  and 
he  in  that  of  merely  existing.  The  first  of  these  meanings  has  no 
application  to  God,  who  had  no  beginning  of  existence.  The  last 
applies  to  God.  but  affords  no  distinctive  characteristic,  as  it  belongs 
equally  to  all  objects  that  have  existence.  The  second  is  proper  to 
God  in  the  sense,  not  of  acquiring  any  new  attribute,  but  of  becoming 
active  from  a  state  of  repose.  But  he  becomes  active  to  the  eye  of 
man  only  by  causing  some  new  effect  to  be,  which  makes  its  ap- 
pearance in  the  world  of  sensible  things.  He  becomes,  then,  only 
by  causing  to  be  or  to  become.  Hence  he  that  becomes,  when  applied 
to  the  Creator,  is  really  he  that  causes  to  be.  This  name,  therefore, 
involves  the  active  or  causative  force  of  the  root  from  which  it  springs, 
and  designates  God  in  relation  with  the  system  of  things  he  has  called 


78  THE  FIELD. 

into  being,  and  especially  with  man,  tlie  only  intelligent  observer  of 
liim  or  of  his  works  in  this  nether  world.  It  distinguishes  him  as  the 
Author  of  being,  and  therefore  the  Creator,  the  worker  of  miracles, 
the  performer  of  promise,  the  keeper  of  covenant.  Beginning  with 
the  "1  of  personality,  it  points  out  God  as  the  person  whose  habitual 
character  it  has  become  to  cause  his  purpose  to  take  place.  Hence  D"^;■'b^« 
designates  God  as  the  Everlasting,  the  Almighty,  in  his  unchangeable 
essence,  as  he  is  before  as  well  as  after  creation,  fiirii  distinguishes 
him  as  the  personal  Sclf-existent,  and  Author  of  all  existing  things, 
who  gives  expression  and  effect  to  his  purpose,  manifests  himself  thereby 
as  existing,  and'  maintains  a  spiritual  intercourse  with  his  intelligent 
creatures. 

The  vowel  marks  usually  placed  under  the  consonants  of  this  word 
are  said  to  belong  to  "^shs ;  and  its  real  pronunciation,  which  is  sup- 
posed to  be  lost,  is  conjectured  to  have  been  ninx  This  conjecture  is 
supported  by  the  analogy  of  the  supposed  antique  third  singular  mas- 
culine imperfect  of  the  verb  n^tn,  and  by  the  Greek  forms  IAD,  and 
lABE  which  are  found  in  certain  authors  (Diod.  Sic.  i.  19  ;  Macrob. 
Saturn  i.  18  ;  Theodoret,  Quaest.  xv.  ad  Exod.).  It  is  true,  indeed, 
when  it  has  a  prefix  all  its  vowels  coincide  with  those  of  "iD^ti; .  But 
otherwise  the  vowel  under  the  first  letter  is  different,  and  the  qamets 
at  the  end  is  as  usual  in  proper  names  ending  in  n  as  in  others,  nlrri 
also  finds  an  anology  in  the  word  BHTi.  In  the  forms  lAO  and  lABE 
the  Greek  voAvels  doubtless  represent  the  Hebrew  consonants,  and  not 
any  vowel  points,  n  is  often  represented  by  the  Greek  a.  From 
iZ'^'ri2  ■^*'6  ™"^y  obtain  'nt*  at  the  end  of  compounds,  and  therefore,  expect 
ilfTi  at  the  beginning.  But  the  form  at  the  beginning  is  in"^  or  ii, 
which  indicates  the  pronunciation  •T>in']  as  current  with  the  punctuators. 
All  this  countenances  the  suggestion  that  the  casual  agreement  of  the 
two  nouns  Jehovah  and  Adonai  in  the  principal  vowels  v/as  the  circum- 
stance that  facilitated  the  Jewish  endeavor  to  avoid  uttering  the  proper 
name  of  God  except  on  the  most  solemn  occasions,  n.'ir;'^ ,  moreover, 
rests  on  precarious  grounds.  The  Hebrew  analogy  would  give  T^^iy] 
not  n'ii]  f«i'  l^hc  verbal  form.  The  middle  vowel  cholem  may  indicate 
the  intensive  or  active  force  of  the  root,  but  we  lay  no  stress  on  the 
mode  of  pronunciation,  as  it  cannot  be  positively  ascertained. 

5.  iT^b  plain,  country ,  field,  for  pasture  or  tillage,  in  opp.  to  "jS,  gar- 
den, parh. 

7.  <T3ii\5  breath,  applied  to  God  and  man  only. 

"\Ye  meet  with  no  division  again  in  the  text  till  we  come  to  Gen.  iii. 


GEN.  11.  4-7.  «y 

15,  when  the  first  minor  break  in  the  narrative  occurs.  This  is  noted 
by  the  intervening  space  being  less  than  the  remainder  of  the  line. 
The  narrative  is  therefore  so  far  regarded  as  continuous. 

We  are  now  entering  upon  a  new  plan  of  narrative,  and  have  there- 
fore to  notice  particularly  that  law  of  Hebrew  composition  by  which 
one  line  of  events  is  carried  on  without  interruption  to  its  natural  rest- 
ing-point ;  after  which  the  writer  returns  to  take  up  a  collateral  train 
of  incidents,  that  are  equally  requisite  for  the  elucidation  of  his  main 
purpose,  though  their  insertion  in  the  order  of  time  would  have  marred 
the  symmetry  and  perspicuity  of  the  previous  narrative.  The  relation 
now  about  to  be  given  is  posterior,  as  a  whole,  to  that  already  given 
as  a  whole ;  but  the  first  incident  now  to  be  recorded  is  some  time 
prior  to  the  last  of  the  preceding  document. 

Hitherto  we  have  adhered  closely  to  the  form  of  the  original  in  our 
rendering,  and  so  have  made  use  of  some  inversions  which  are  foreign 
to  our  prose  style.  Hereafter  we  shall  deviate  as  little  as  possible 
from  the  authorized  version. 

4.  These  are  the  generations  of  the  heavens  and  the  earth  on 
their  being  created,  in  the  day  that  the  Lord  God  made  earth 
and  heaven.  5.  And  not  a  plant  of  the  field  was  yet  i^  the 
land,  and  not  an  licrh  of  the  field  yet  grew  ;  for  the  Lord'  God 
had  not  caused  it  to  rain  upon  the  land,  and  there  Avas  no  man 
to  till  the  ground.  6.  And  a  mist  went  up  from  the  land 
and  watered  the  whole  face  of  the  soil.  7.  And  the  Lord  God 
formed  the  man  of  dust  from  the  soil,  and  breathed  into  his 
nostrils  the  breath  of  life  :  and  man  became  a  living  soul. 

The  document  upon  which  we  are  now  entering  extends  from  Gen. 
ii.  4  to  Gen.  iv.  In  the  second  and  third  chapters  the  author  uses  the 
combination  n^n'^X  nini  the  Lord  God,  to  designate  the  Supreme 
Being ;  in  the  fourth  he  drops  Cin'sx  God,  and  employs  nini.  the  Lord, 
alone.  So  far,  then,  as  the  divine  appellation  is  concerned,  the  fourth 
chapter  is  as  clearly  separable  from  the  second  and  third  as  the  first 
document  is  from  the  present.  If  diversity  of  the  divine  name  were  a 
proof  of  diversity  of  authorship,  we  should  here  have  two  documents 
due  to  different  authors,  each  of  them  difierent  also  from  the  author  of 
the  first  document.  The  second  and  third  chapters,  though  agreeing 
in  the  designation  of  God,  are  clearly  distinguishable  in  style. 


80  THE  FIELD. 

The  general  subject  of  this  document  is  the  histoiy  of  man  to  the 
close  of  ilie  line  of  Cain  and  the  birth  of  Enosh.  Tliis  falls  into  three 
clearly  marked  sections,  —  the  origin,  the  fall,  and  the  family  of  Adam. 
The  difference  of  style  and  phraseology  in  its  several  parts  will  be 
found  to  correspond  with  the  diversity  ia  the  topics  of  which  it  treats. 
It  reverts  to  an  earlier  point  of  time  than  that  at  -which  we  had  arrived 
in  the  former  document,  and  proceeds  upon  a  new  plan,  exactly  adapted 
to  the  new  occasion. 

The  present  sectloa  treats  of  the  process  of  nature  which  was  simul- 
;taneous  with  the  latter  part  of  the  supernatural  process  described  in  the 
preceding  document.     Its  opening  paragraph  refers  to  the  field. 

4.  This  verse  is  the  title  of  the  present  section.  It  states  the  sub- 
ject of  which  it  treats,  —  tlie  generations  of  the  skies  and  the  land.  The 
generations  are  the  posterity  or  the  progress  of  events  relating  to  the 
posterity  of  the  party  to  whom  the  term  is  applied  (Gen.  v.  1,  vi.  9, 
X.  1,  xi.  10,  xxxvil.  2).  Tlie  development  of  events  is  here  pre- 
sented under  the  figure  of  the  descendants  of  a  parental  pair  ;  the  skies 
and  the  land  being  the  metaphorical  progenitors  of  those  events,  which 
are  brought  about  by  their  conjunct  operation. 

It  then  notes  the  date  at  which  the  new  narrative  commences.  In 
their  being  created.  This  is  the  first  or  general  date  ;  namely,  after  the 
primary  creation  and  during  the  course  of  the  secondary.  As  the 
latter  occupied  six  days,  some  of  the  processes  of  nature  began  before 
these  days  had  elapsed.  Next,  therefore,  is  the  more  special  date,  —  in 
the  day  of  Jehovah  God's  maldng  land  and  skies.  Novv^,  on  looking 
back  at  the  preceding  narrative,  we  observe  that  the  skies  were  ad- 
justed and  named  on  the  second  day,  and  the  land  on  the  third.  Both, 
therefore,  were  completed  on  the  third  day,  which  accordingly  is  the 
opening  date  of  the  second  branch  of  the  narrative. 

The  peculiarity  of  the  present  section,  therefore,  is,  that  it  combines 
the  creative  with  the  preservative  agency  of  God.  Creation  and  pro- 
gress here  go  hand  in  hand  for  a  season.  The  narrative  here,  then, 
overlaps  half  the  time  of  the  former,  and  at  the  end  of  the  chapter  has 
not  advanced  beyond  its  termination. 

Jehovah  JElohim,  the  Lord  God.  This  phrase  is  here  for  the  first 
time  introduced.  Elohim,  as  we  have  seen,  is  the  generic  term  denot- 
ing God  as  the  Everlasting,  and  therefore  the  Almighty,  as  he  Avas 
before  all  worlds,  and  still  continues  to  be,  now  that  he  is  the  sole  ob- 
ject of  supreme  reverence  to  all  intelligent  creatures.  Jehovah  is  the 
proper  name  of  God  to  man,  self-existent  himself,  the  author  of  exist- 


GEK  II.  4-7,  81 

ence  to  all  persons  and  things,  and  manifesting  his  existence  to  those 
Ti'hom  he  has  made  capable  of  such  knowledge. 

Hence  the  latter  name  is  appropriate  to  the  present  stage  of  our 
narrative.  God  has  become  active  in  a  way  worthy  of  himself,  and  at 
the  same  time  peculiar  to  his  nature.  He  has  put  forth  his  creative 
power  in  calling  the  universe  into  existence.  He  has  now  reconsti- 
tuted the  skies  and  the  land,  clothed  the  latter  with  a  new  vegetation, 
and  peopled  it  with  a  new  animal  kingdom.  Especially  has  he  called 
into  being  an  inhabitant  of  this  earth  made  in  his  own  image,  and 
therefore  capable  of  understanding  his  works  and  holding  intercourse 
with  himself.  To  man  he  has  now  come  to  he  in  certain  acts  by  which 
he  has  discovered  himself  and  his  power.  And  to  man  he  has  accord- 
ingly become  known  by  a  name  which  signalizes  that  new  creative 
process  of  which  man  forms  a  prominent  part.  Jehovah  —  he  who 
causes  the  successive  events  of  time  to  come  to  pass  in  the  sight  and  in 
the  interest  of  man  —  is  a  name  the  peculiar  significance  of  which  will 
come  out  on  future  occasions  in  the  history  of  the  ways  of  God  with 
man. 

The  union  of  these  two  divine  names,  then,  indicates  him  who  was 
before  all  things,  and  by  whom  now  all  things  consist.  It  also  implies 
that  he  who  is  now  distinguished  by  the  new  name  Jehovah  is  the 
same  who  was  before  called  Elohim.  The  combination  of  the  names 
is  specially  suitable  in  a  passage  which  records  a  concurrence  of  crea- 
tion and  development.  The  apposition  of  the  two  names  is  continued 
by  the  historian  through  this  and  the  following  chapter.  The  abstract 
and  aboriginal  name  then  gives  way  to  the  concrete  and  the  historical. 

The  skies  and  the  land  at  the  beginning  of  the  verse  are  given  in 
order  of  their  importance  in  nature,  the  skies  being  first  as  grander  and 
higher  than  the  land  ;  at  the  end,  in  the  order  of  their  importance  in 
the  narrative,  the  land  being  before  the  skies,  as  the  future  scene  of 
the  events  to  be  recorded. 

This  superscription,  we  see,  presupposes  the  former  document,  as 
it  alludes  to  the  creation  in  general,  and  to  the  things  made  on  the 
second  and  third  days  in  particular,  without  directly  narrating  these 
events.  This  mode  of  referring  to  them  implies  that  they  were  well 
known  at  the  time  of  the  narrator,  either  by  personal  observation  or  by 
testimony.  Personal  observation  is  out  of  the  question  in  the  present 
case.  By  the  testimony  of  God,  therefore,  they  were  already  known, 
and  the  preceding  record  is  that  testimony.  The  narrator  of  the  sec- 
ond passage,  therefore,  even  if  not  the  same  as  that  of  the  former,  had. 
H 


82  THE  FIELD. 

to  a  moral  certainty  the  first  before  his  mind  wliea  composing  the 
second. 

5.  Tills  verse  corresponds  to  tlie  second  verse  of  the  preceding  nar- 
rative. It  describes  the  field  or  arable  land  in  the  absence  of  certain 
conditions  necessary  to  the  progress  of  vegetation.  Plant  and  herb 
here  comprise  the  whole  vegetable  vrorld.  Plants  and  herbs  of  the 
field  are  those  which  are  to  be  found  in  the  open  land.  A  different 
statement  is  made  concerning  each. 

Not  a  2:ilant  of  the  field  was  yet  in  the  land.  Here  it  is  to  be  remem- 
bered that  the  narrative  has  reverted  to  the  third  day  of  the  preceding 
creation.  At  first  sight,  then,  it  might  be  supposed  that  the  vegetable 
species  w^ere  not  created  at  the  hour  of  that  day  to  which  the  narra- 
tive refers.  But  it  is  not  stated  that  young  trees  were  not  in  existence, 
but  merely  that  plants  of  the  field  were  not  yet  in  the  land.  Of  the 
herbs  it  is  only  said  that  they  had  not  yet  sent  forth  a  bud  or  blade. 
And  the  actual  existence  of  both  trees  and  herbs  is  implied  in  what 
follows.  The  reasons  for  the  state  of  things  above  described  are  the 
want  of  rain  to  water  the  soil,  and  of  man  to  cultivate  it.  These  would 
only  suffice  for  growth  if  the  vegetable  seeds,  at  least,  were  already  in 
existence.  Now,  the  plants  were  made  before  the  seeds  (Gen.  i.  11, 
12),  and  therefore  the  first  full-grown  and  seed-bearing  sets  of  each 
kind  were  already  created.  Hence  we  infer  that  the  state  of  things 
described  in  the  text  was  this  :  The  original  trees  were  confined  to 
a  centre  of  vegetation,  from  which  it  was  intended  that  they  should 
spread  in  the  course  of  nature.  At  the  present  juncture,  then,  there 
was  not  a  tree  of  the  field,  a  tree  of  propagation,  in  the  land ;  and 
even  the  created  trees  had  not  sent  down  a  single  root  of  growth  into 
the  land.  And  if  they  had  dropped  a  seed,  it  was  only  on  the  land, 
and  not  in  the  land,  as  it  had  not  yet  struck  root. 

And  not  an  herh  of  the  field  yet  grew.  The  herbage  seems  to  have 
been  more  widely  difiuscd  than  the  trees.  Hence  it  is  not  said  that 
they  were  not  in  the  land,  as  it  is  said  of  field  trees.  But  at  the  pres- 
ent moment  not  an  herb  had  exhibited  any  signs  of  growth  or  sent 
forth  a  single  blade  beyond  the  immediate  product  of  creative  power. 

Rain  uj)on  the  land,  and  man  to  till  it,  were  the  two  wants  that 
retarded  vegetation.  These  two  means  of  promoting  vegetable  growth 
difiered  in  their  importance  and  in  their  mode  of  application.  Moisture 
is  absolutely  necessary,  and  where  it  is  supplied  in  abundance  the  shift- 
ing wind  will  in  the  course  of  time  waft  the  seed.  The  browsing  herds 
will  aid  in  the  same  process  of  diffusion.     Man  comes  in  merely  as  an 


GEN.  11.  4-7.  83 

auxiliary  to  nature  in  preparing  the  soil  and  depositing  the  seeds  and 
plants  to  the  best  advantage  for  rapid  growth  and  abundant  fruitfulness. 
The  narrative,  as  usual,  notes  only  the  chief  things.  Rain  is  the  only- 
source  of  vegetable  sap  ;  man  is  the  only  intentional  cultivator. 

6.  As  in  the  foi-mer  narrative,  so  here,  the  remaining  part  of  the 
chapter  is  employed  in  recording  the  removal  of  the  two  hinderances  to 
vegetation.  The  first  of  these  is  removed  by  the  institution  of  the 
natural  process  by  which  rain  is  produced.  The  atmosphere  had  been 
adjusted  so  far  as  to  admit  of  some  light.  But  even  on  the  third  day 
a  dense  mass  of  clouds  still  shut  out  the  heavenly  bodies  from  view. 
But  on  the  creation  of  plants  the  Lord  God  caused  it  to  rain  on  the 
land.  This  is  described  in  the  verse  before  us,  A  mist  went  up  from 
the  land.  It  had  been  ascending  from  the  steaming,  reeking  land  ever 
since  the  waters  retired  into  the  hollows.  The  briny  moisture  which 
could  not  promote  vegetation  is  dried  up.  And  now  he  causes  the 
accumulated  masses  of  cloud  to  burst  forth  and  dissolve  themselves  in 
copious  showers.  Thus  the  mist  watered  the  whole  face  of  the  soil.  The 
face  of  the  sky  is  thereby  cleared,  and  on  the  follovang  day  the  sun 
shone  forth  in  all  his  cloudless  splendor  and  fostering  warnith. 

On  the  fourth  day,  then,  a  second  process  of  nature  commenced. 
The  bud  began  to  swell,  the  tender  blade  to  peep  forth  and  assume  its  • 
tint  of  green,  the  gentle  breeze  to  agitate  the  full-sized  plants,  the 
first  seeds  to  be  shaken  off  and  wafted  to  their  resting-place,  the  first 
root  to  strike  into  the  ground,  and  the  first  shoot  to  rise  towards  the 
sky. 

This  enables  us  to  determine  with  some  degree  of  probability  the 
season  of  the  year  when  the  creation  took  place.  If  we  look  to  the 
ripe  fruit  on  the  first  trees  we  presume  that  the  season  is  autumn. 
The  scattering  of  the  seeds,  the  falling  of  the  rains,  and  the  need  of  a 
cultivator  intimated  in  the  text,  point  to  the  same  period.  In  a  genial 
climate  the  process  of  vegetation  has  its  beginnings  at  the  falling  of  the 
early  rains,  Man  would  be  naturally  led  to  gather  the  abundant  fruit 
which  fell  from  the  trees,  and  thus  even  unwittingly  provide  a  store  for 
the  unbearing  period  of  the  year.  It  is  probable,  moreover,  that  he 
was  formed  in  a  region  where  vegetation  was  little  interrupted  by  the 
coldest  season  of  the  year.  This  would  be  most  favorable  to  the  pres- 
ervation of  life  in  his  state  of  primeval  inexperience. 

These  presumptions  are  in  harmony  with  the  numeration  of  the 
months  at  the  deluge  (Gen.  vii.  11),  and  with  the  outgomg  and  the 
turn  of  the  year  at  autumn  (Exod,  xxiii,  16,  xxxiv,  22). 


84 


THE  FIELD. 


7.  The  second  obstacle  to  the  favorable  progress  of  the  vegetable 
kingdom  is  now  removed.  And  the  Lord  God  formed  the  man  of  dust 
from  the  soil.  This  account  of  the  origin  of  man  differs  from  the 
former  on  account  of  the  different  end  the  author  has  in  view.  Tliere 
his  creation  as  an  integral  whole  is  recorded  with  special  reference  to 
his  higher  nature,  by  which  he  was  fitted  to  hold  communion  with  his 
Maker,  and  exercise  dominion  over  the  inferior  creation.  Here  his 
constitution  is  described  with  marked  regard  to  his  adaptation  to  be  the 
cultivator  of  the  soil.  He  is  a  compound  of  matter  and  mind.  His 
material  part  is  dust  from  the  soil,  out  of  which  he  is  formed  as  the 
potter  moulds  the  vessel  out  of  the  clay.  He  is  D'lX  Adam,  the  man  of 
the  soil,  n^'ix  adamah.  His  mission  in  this  respect  is  to  draw  out  the 
capabilities  of  the  soil  to  support  by  its  produce  the  myriads  of  his 
race. 

His  mental  part  is  from  another  source.  And  breathed  into  his 
nostrils  the  breath  of  life.  The  word  na'^5  is  invariably  applied  to 
God  or  man,  never  to  any  irrational  creature.  The  "  breath  of  life  " 
is  peculiar  to  this  passage.  It  expresses  the  spiritual  and  principal 
element  in  man,  which  is  not  formed,  but  breathed  by  the  Creator  into 
the  bodily  form  of  man.  This  rational  part  is  that  in  which  he  bears 
the  image  of  God,  and  is  fitted  to  be  his  vicegerent  on  earth.  As  the 
earth  was  prepared  to  be  the  dwelling,  so  was  the  body  to  be  the  organ 
of  that  breath  of  life  which  is  his  essence,  himself. 

And  the  man  became  a  living  soul.  This  term  "  living  soul  "  is  also 
applied  to  the  water  and  land  animals  (Gen.  i.  20,  21,  24).  As  by 
his  body  he  is  allied  to  earth  and  by  his  soul  to  heaven,  so  by  the  vital 
union  of  these  he  is  associated  with  the  whole  animal  kingdom,  of  which 
he  is  the  constituted  sovereign.  This  passage,  therefore,  aptly  de- 
scribes him  as  he  is  fitted  to  dv/ell  and  rule  on  this  earth.  The  height 
of  his  glory  is  yet  to  come  out  in  his  relation  to  the  future  and  to  God. 

The  line  of  narrative  here  reaches  a  point  of  repose.  The  second 
want  of  the  teeming  soil  is  here  supplied.  The  man  to  till  the  ground 
is  presented  in  that  form  which  exhibits  his  fitness  for  this  appropriate 
and  needful  task.  "We  are  therefore  at  liberty  to  go  back  for  another 
train  of  events  which  is  essential  to  the  progress  of  our  narrative. 


GEN.  II.  8-14.  85 


XI.  •  THE  GARDEN.  —  Gen.  ii.  8-14. 

8.  **  garden,  park,  TrapciSetcros,  an  enclosed  piece  of  ground.  "{^J 
Eden,  delight,     d'lp  fore-place,  east ;  foretime. 

11.  "(i'J-^Si  Pishon  ;  v.  floio  over,  spread,  leap.  Mb-nn  Chavilali.  bin 
sand,     ban  region. 

12.  obna  dv^pa^,  carbuncle,  (LXX.)  ftSeXXtov,  a  gum  of  eastern 
couniries,  Arabia,  India,  Media  (Josephus,  etc.).  The  pearl  (Kimchi). 
oniy  rrpdo-Lvo';,  leehlikc,  perhaps  the  beryl  (LXX.),  owi,  onyx,  sardonyx, 
a  precious  stone  of  the  color  of  the  nail  (Jerome). 

13.  "|ini.n  Giciion  ;  r.  hreaJc forth.     u;o  Kush  ;  r.  heap,  gather'? 

14.  b|5-Tn  xb^'n  Dijlah,  Tigris,  p-n  he  sharp,  rapidus,  ST^iQ  Frat, 
Euphrates.     The  sweet  or  bi-oad  stream.     Old  V.frata,  Sansc.  prathu, 

8.  And  the  Lord  God  planted  a  garden  in  Eden  to  the  east ; 
and  put  there  the  man  whom  he  had  formed. 

9.  And  the  Lord  God  made  to  grow  out  of  the  soil  every 
tree  likely  for  sight  and  good  for  food  ;  and  the  tree  of  life  in 
the  midst  of  the  garden,  and  the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of 
good  and  evil.  10.  And  a  river  was  going  out  of  Eden  to 
water  the  garden :  and  thence  it  was  parted  and  became  four 
heads.  11.  The  name  of  the  one  was  Pishon  ;  it  is  that  com- 
passing the  whole  land  of  Havilah,  in  which  was  gold.  12.  And 
the  gold  of  that  land  was  good  ;  there  were  tlie  bdellium  and 
the  onyx  stone.  13.  And  the  name  of  the  second  river  was 
Gihon  ;  it  is  that  compassing  the  whole  land  of  Kush.  14. 
And  the  name  of  the  third  river  was  Hiddekel :  it  is  that 
going  east  of  Asshur.    And  the  fourth  river  was  Perath. 

This  paragraph  describes  the  planting  of  the  garden  of  Eden,  and 
determines  its  situation.  It  goes  back,  therefore,  as  we  conceive,  to 
the  third  day,  and  runs  parallel  with  the  preceding  passage. 

8.  And  the  Lord  God  planted  a  garden  in  Eden  to  the  east.  It  is 
evident  that  the  order  of  thought  is  here  observed.  For  the  formation 
of  man  with  special  allusion  to  his  animal  nature  immediately  suggests 
the  means  by  which  his  physical  wants  are  to  be  supplied.     The  order 


86  THE  GAEDEN. 

of  time  is  an  open  question  so  far  as  the  mere  conjunction  of  the 
sentences  is  concerned.  It  can  only  be  determined  by  other  considera- 
tions. 

Hex-e,  then,  the  writer  either  relates  a  new  creation  of  trees  for  the 
occasion,  or  reverts  to  the  occurrences  of  the  third  day.  But  though 
in  the  previous  verses  he  declares  the  field  to  be  without  timber,  yet  in 
the  account  of  the  third  day  the  creation  of  trees  is  recorded.  Now,  it 
is  unnecessary,  and  therefore  unreasonable,  to  assume  two  creations  of 
trees  at  so  short  an  interval  of  time.  In  the  former  paragraph  the 
author  advanced  to  the  sixth  day,  in  order  to  lay  before  his  readers 
without  any  interruption  the  means  by  which  the  two  conditions  of 
vegetative  progress  were  satisfied.  This  brings  man  into  view,  and  his 
appearance  gives  occasion  to  speak  of  the  means  by  which  his  wants 
were  supplied. 

For  this'  purpose  the  author  drops  the  thread  of  events  following  the 
creation  of  man,  and  reverts  to  the  third  day.  He  describes  more  par- 
ticularly what  was  then  done.  A  centre  of  vegetation  was  chosen  for 
the  trees,  from  which  they  were  to  be  propagated  by  seed  over  the 
land.  This  central  spot  is  called  a  garden  or  park.  It  is  situated  in  a 
region  which  is  distinguished  by  its  name  as  a  land  of  delight.  It  is 
said,  as  we  understand,  to  be  in  the  eastern  quarter  of  Eden.  For  the 
word  n^iS??  on  the  east  is  most  simply  explained  by  referring  to  some 
point  indicated  in  the  text.  There  are  two  points  to  which  it  may  here 
refer,  —  the  place  where  the  man  was  created,  and  the  country  in  which 
the  garden  was  placed.  But  the  man  was  not  ci-eated  at  this  time,  and, 
moreover,  the  place  of  his  creation  is  not  indicated  ;  and  hence  we  must 
refer  to  the  country  in  which  the  garden  was  placed. 

And  put  there  the  ?nan  whom  he  had  formed.  The  writer  has  still 
the  formation  of  man  in  thought,  and  therefore  proceeds  to  state  that 
he  was  thereupon  placed  in  the  garden  which  had  been  prepai-ed  for 
his  reception,  before  going  on  to  give  a  description  of  the  garden.  ■  This 
verse,  therefore,  forms  a  transition  from  the  field  and  its  cultivator  to 
the  garden  and  its  inhabitants. 

Without  the  previous  document  concerning  the  creation,  however,  it 
could  not  have  been  certainly  known  that  a  new  line  of  narrative  was 
taken  up  in  this  verse.  Neither  could  we  have  discovered  what  was 
the  precise  time  of  the  creation  of  the  trees.  Hence  this  verse  furnishes 
a  new  proof  that  the  present  document  was  composed,  not  as  an  inde- 
pendent production,  but  as  a  continuation  of  the  former. 

9.  Having  located  the  newly -Ibrmed  man  of  whom  he  had  spoken 


GEN.  II.  8-14.  87 

in  the  preceding  paragraph,  the  author  now  returns  to  detail  the  plant- 
ing and  the  watering  of  the  garden.  And  the  Lord  God  made  to  grow 
out  of  the  soil  every  tree  likely  for  sight  and  good  for  food.  "We  look 
on  while  the  ornamental  trees  I'ise  to  gratify  the  sight,  and  the  fruit 
ti-ees  present  their  mellow  fare  to  the  craving  appetite.  But  preemi- 
nent among  all  we  contemplate  with  curious  wonder  the  tree  of  life  in 
the  midst  of  the  garden,  and  the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and 
evil.  These  will  come  under  consideration  at  a  future  stage  of  our 
narrative. 

10.  Here  is  a  river  the  source  of  which  is  in  Eden.  It  passes  into 
the  garden  and  waters  it.  And  thence  it  was  parted  and  became  four 
heads.  This  statement  means  either  that  the  single  stream  was  divided 
into  four  branches,  or  that  there  was  a  division  of  the  river  system  of 
the  district  into  four  principal  streams,  whose  sources  were  all  to  be 
found  in  it,  though  one  only  passed  through  the  garden.  In  the  latter 
case  the  word  "ins  may  be  understood  in  its  primary  sense  of  a  flowing 
of  water  in  general.  This  flowing  in  all  the  parts  of  Eden  resulted  in 
four  particular  flowings  or  streams,  which  do  not  require  to  have  been 
ever  united.  The  subsequent  land  changes  in  this  district  during  an 
interval  of  five  or  six  thousand  years  prevent  us  from  determining 
more  precisely  the  meaning  of  the  text. 

11,  12.  The  Pishon  waters  in  its  subsequent  course  the  land  of 
Havilah.  This  country  is  noted  for  the  best  gold,  and  for  two  other 
products,  concerning  which  interpreters  differ.  Bedolach  is,  according 
to  the  Septuagint,  the  carbuncle  or  crystal ;  according  to  others,  the 
pearl,  or  a  particular  kind  of  gum.  The  last  is  the  more  probable,  if 
we  regard  the  various  Greek  and  Latin  forms  of  the  word  :  fiSiXXa, 
jSSeXAtov,  Joseph.  Ant.  iii.  1,6;  oi  8e  /xdSeAKov,  ol  Se  ^oA;>(oi/  KaXovai, 
Dioscor.  i.  71  ;  alii  hrochon  appellant,  alii  malacham,  alii  maldacon, 
Plin.  H.N.  12,  9.  Pliny  describes  it  as  black,  whUe  the  manna,  which 
is  compared  with  it  (Num.  xi.  7),  is  white ;  but  yv  the  point  of  resem- 
blance may  refer  not  to  color,  but  to  transparence  or  some  other  visible 
quality.  This  transparent,  aromatic  gum  is  found  in  Arabia,  Babylo- 
nia, Bactriana,  Media,  and  India.  Shoham  is  variously  conjectured  to 
be  the  beryl,  onyx,  sardonyx,  or  emerald.  The  first,  according  to 
Pliny,  is  found  in  India  and  about  Pontus.  As  the  name  Pishon 
means  the  gushing  or  spouting  current,  it  may  have  been  applied  to 
many  a  stream  by  the  migratory  tribes.  The  Halys  perhaps  contains 
the  same  root  with  Havilah ;  namely,  bin  (Rawlinson's  Her.  i.,  p.  126)  ; 
and  it  rises  in  Armenia  (Herod,  i.  72).    The  Chalybes  in  Pontus,  per- 


88 


THE  GARDEN. 


haps,  contain  the  same  root.  The  Pishon  may  have  been  the  Halys  or 
some  other  stream  flowing  into  the  Black  Sea. 

13,  14.  Gihon,  the  second  river,  flows  by  the  land  of  Kush,  It  is 
possible  that  the  name  Kush  remains  in  Caucasus  and  in  the  Caspism. 
The  Gihon  is  the  stream  that  breaks  or  bursts  forth  ;  a  quality  common 
to  many  rivers.  The  name  is  preserved  in  the  Jyhoon,  flowing  into  the 
sea  of  Aral.  Here  it  probably  designates  the  leading  stream  flowing 
out  of  Armenia  into  the  Caspian,  or  in  that  direction.  Hiddekel,  the 
third,  goes  in  front,  or  on  the  east  of  Asshur.  The  original  Asshur 
embraced  northern  Mesopotamia,  as  well  as  the  slopes  of  the  mountain 
range  on  the  other  side  of  the  Tigris.  Perath,  the  fourth,  is  the  well- 
known  Frat  or  Euphrates. 

In  endeavoring  to  determine  the  situation  of  Eden,  it  is  evident  we 
can  only  proceed  on  jirobable  grounds.  The  deluge,  and  even  the  dis- 
tance of  time,  warrant  us  in  presuming  great  land  changes  to  have 
taken  place  since  this  geographical  description  applied  to  the  country. 
Let  us  see,  however,  to  what  result  the  simple  reading  of  the  text  will 
lead  us.  A  river  is  said  to  flow  out  of  Eden  into  the  garden.  This 
river  is  not  named,  and  may,  in  a  primary  sense  of  the  term,  denote 
the  running  water  of  the  district  in  general.  This  is  then  said  to  be 
parted  into  four  heads  —  the  upper  courses  of  four  great  rivers.  One 
of  these  rivers  is  known  to  this  day  as  the  Frat  or  Euphrates.  A 
second  is  with  almost  equal  unanimity  allowed  to  be  the  Dijlah  or  Ti- 
gris. The  sources  of  these  lie  not  far  asunder,  in  the  mountains  of 
Armenia,  and  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  lakes  Van  and  Urumiah. 
Somewhere  in  this  region  must  have  been  the  celebrated  but  unnamed 
stream.  The  Hiddekel  flowed  east  of  Asshur ;  the  primitive  portion  of 
which  seems  therefore  to  have  been  in  Mesopotamia.  The  Gihon 
may  have  flowed  into  the  Caspian,  on  the  banks  of  which  was  the 
original  Kush.  The  Pishon  may  have  turned  towards  the  Euxine,  and 
compassed  the  primitive  Havilah,  lying  to  the  south  and  east  of  that 
sea. 

It  may  be  said  that  the  Kush  and  Havilah  of  later  times  belong  to 
different  localities.  This,  however,  is  no  solid  objection,  on  two 
grounds,  — 

1st.  Geography  affords  numerous  examples  of  the  transferrence  of 
names  from  one  place  to  another  along  the  line  of  migration.  Thus 
Galatia  in  Asia  Minor  would  be  inexplicable  or  misleading,  did  not 
history  inform  us  that  ti'ibes  from  Gallia  had  settled  there  and  given 
their  name  to  the  pi'ovince.     We  may  therefore  expect  names  to  travel 


GEN.  II.  8-14.  89 

with  the  tribes  that  bear  them  or  love  them,  until  they  come  to  their 
final  settlements.  Hence  Kush  may  have  been  among  the  Caucasian 
glens  and  on  the  Caspian  shores.  In  the  progress  of  his  development, 
whether  northward  or  southward,  he  may  have  left  his  mark  in  Kos- 
saea  and  Kissia,  while  he  sent  his  colonies  into  southern  Arabia  Aethi- 
opia  and  probably  India. 

2d.  Countries  agreeing  in  name  may  be  totally  unconnected  either 
in  time  or  place.  Thus  in  the  table  of  nations  we  meet  with  two 
persons  called  Havilah  (Gen.  x.  7.  29);  the  one  a  Kushite,  who 
settled  probably  in  the  south  of  Arabia,  the  other  a  Joctanite,  who  oc- 
cupied a  more  northerly  locality  in  the  same  peninsula.  A  primitive 
Havilah,  different  from  both,  may  have  given  his  name  to  the  region 
southeast  of  the  Euxine. 

The  rivers  Pishon  and  Gihon  may  have  been  greatly  altered  or  even 
effaced  by  the  deluge  and  other  causes.  Names  similar  to  these  may 
be  found  in  various  places.  They  cannot  prove  much  more  than  re- 
semblance in  language,  and  that  may  be  sometimes  very  remote.  There 
is  one  other  Gihon  mentioned  in  Scripture  (1  Kings  i.  oo),  and  sev- 
eral like  names  occur  in  profane  history.  At  first  sight  it  seems  to  be 
stated  that  the  one  stream  branched  into  four.  If  so,  this  community 
of  origin  has  disappeared  among  the  other  changes  of  the  country.  But 
in  the  original  text  the  words  "  and  thence  "  come  before  the  verb 
"  parted."  This  verb  has  no  subject  expressed,  and  may  have  its 
subject  implied  in  itself.  The  meaning  of  the  sentence  will  then  be, 
"  and  thence,"  after  the  garden  had  been  watered  by  the  river,  "  it," 
the  river,  or  the  water  system  of  the  country,  "  was  parted  into  four 
heads."  We  cannot  tell,  and  it  is  not  material,  which  of  these  inter- 
pretations correctly  represents  the  original  fact. 

According  to  the  above  view,  the  land  and  garden  of  Eden  lay  in 
Armenia,  around  the  lakes  Van  and  Urumiah,  or  the  district  where 
these  lakes  now  are.  The  country  here  is  to  this  day  a  land  of  delight, 
and  very  well  fitted  in  many  respects  to  be  the  cradle  of  the  human 
race.  There  is  only  one  other  locality  that  has  any  claim  to  probabil- 
ity from  an  examination  of  Scripture.  It  is  the  alluvial  ground  where 
the  Euphrates  and  Tigris  unite  their  currents,  and  then  again  separate 
into  two  branches,  by  which  their  waters  are  discharged  into  the  Per- 
sian Gulf  The  neck  in  which  they  are  united  is  the  river  that  waters 
the  garden.  The  rivers,  before  they  unite,  and  the  branches,  after 
they  sepai'ate,  are  the  four  rivers.  The  claim  of  this  position  to  ac- 
ceptance rests  on  the  greater  contiguity  to  Kissia  or  Susiana,  a  country 
12 


90  THE  GARDEN. 

of  the  Kushite?,  on  the  one  side  and  on  the  other  to  Havilah,  a  district 
of  Arabia,  as  well  as  its  proximity  to  Babel,  where  the  confusion  of 
tongues  took  place.  These  claims  do  not  constrain  our  assent.  Susi- 
ana  is  nearer  the  Tigris  itself  than  the  present  eastern  branch  after  the 
separation.  Havilah  is  not  very  near  the  western  branch.  If  Babel 
be  near,  Armenia,  where  the  ark  rested,  is  very  far  away.  Against 
this  position  is  the  forced  meaning  it  puts  on  the  text  by  its  mode  of 
accounting  for  the  four  rivers.  The  garden  river  in  the  text  rises  in 
Eden,  and  the  whole  four  have  their  upper  currents  in  that  land.  All 
is  different  in  the  case  here  supposed.  Again,  the  laud  of  Sliinar  is  a 
great  wheat  country,  and  abounds  in  the  date  palm.  But  it  is  not 
otherwise  distinguished  for  trees.  It  is  a  land  of  the  simoon,  the  mi- 
rage, and  the  drought,  and  its  summer  heat  is  oppressive  and  enfeeb- 
ling. It  cannot  therefore  claim  to  be  a  land  of  delight  (Eden),  either 
in  point  of  climate  or  variety  of  produce.  It  is  not,  consequently,  so 
well  suited  as  the  northern  position,  either  to  the  description  in  the 
text  or  the  requirements  of  primeval  man. 

It  is  evident  that  this  geographical  description  must  have  been  writ- 
ten long  after  the  document  in  which  it  is  found  might  have  been 
composed.  Mankind  must  have  multiplied  to  some  extent,  have  spread 
themselves  along  these  rivers,  and  become  familiar  with  the  countries 
here  designated.  All  this  might  have  taken  place  in  the  lifetime  of 
Adam,  and  so  have  been  put  on  record,  or  handed  down  by  tradition 
from  an  eye-witness.  But  it  is  remarkable  that  the  three  names  of 
countries  reappear  as  proper  names  among  the  descendants  of  Noah 
after  the  flood. 

Hence  arises  a  question  of  great  interest  concerning  the  composition 
of  the  document  in  which  they  are  originally  found.  If  these  names 
be  primeval,  the  document  in  its  extant  form  may  have  been  composed 
in  the  time  of  Adam,  and  therefore  before  the  deluge.  In  this  case 
Moses  has  merely  authenticated  it  and  handed  it  down  in  its  proper 
place  in  the  divine  record.  And  the  sons  of  Noah,  from  some  unex- 
plained association,  have  adopted  the  three  names  and  perpetuated 
them  as  family  names.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  these  countries  are 
named  after  the  descendants  of  Noah,  the  geographical  description  of 
the  garden  must  have  been  composed  after  these  men  had  settled  in 
the  countries  to  which  they  have  given  their  names.  At  the  same 
time,  these  territorial  designations  apply  to  a  time  earlier  than  Moses ; 
hence  the  whole  document  may  have  been  composed  in  the  time  of 
Noah,  who  survived  the  deluge  three  hundred  and  fifty  years,  and  may 


Grx.  II.  8-14.  91 

have  witnessed  tlie  settlement  and  tlie  designation  of  t'nese  countries. 
And,  lastly,  if  not  put  together  in  its  present  form  by  any  previous 
writer,  then  the  document  is  directly  from  the  pen  of  Moses,  Avho  com- 
posed it  out  of  preesistcnt  memorials.  And  as  the  previous  document 
was  solely  due  to  inspiration,  we  shall  in  this  case  be  led  to  ascribe  the 
whole  of  Genesis  to  Moses  as  the  immediate  human  composer. 

It  must  be  admitted  that  any  of  these  ways  of  accounting  for  the 
existing  form  of  this  document  is  within  the  bounds  of  possibility.  But 
the  question  is,  Which  is  the  most  probable  ?  We  are  in  a  fair  position 
for  discussing  this  question  in  a  dispassionate  manner,  and  without  any 
anxiety,  inasmuch  as  on  any  of  the  three  suppositions  Moses,  v,'ho 
lived  long  after  the  latest  event  expressed  or  implied,  is  the  acknowl- 
edged voucher  for  the  document  before  us.  It  becomes  us  to  speak 
with  great  moderation  and  caution  on  a  point  of  so  remote  antiquity. 
To  demonstrate  this  may  be  one  of  the  best  results  of  this  inquiry. 

I.  The  following  are  some  of  the  gi'ounds  for  the  theory  that  the 
names  of  countries  in  the  document  are  original  and  antediluvian : 
1st.  It  was  impossible  to  present  to  the  postdiluvians  in  later  terms  the 
exact  features  and  conditions  of  Eden,  because  many  of  these  were 
obliterated.  The  four  rivers  no  longer  sprang  from  one.  Two  of  the 
rivers  remained,  indeed,  but  the  others  had  been  so  materially  altered 
as  to  be  no  longer  clearly  distinguishable.  The  Euxine  and  the  Cas- 
pian may  now  cover  their  former  channels.  In  circumstances  like 
these  later  names  would  not  answer. 

2d.  Though  the  name  Asshur  represents  a  country  nearly  suitable 
to  the  original  conditions,  Havilah  and  Kush  cannot  easily  have  their 
postdiluvian  meanings  in  the  present  passage.  The  presumption  that 
they  have  has  led  interpreters  into  vain  and  endless  conjectures.  Sup- 
posing Kush  to  be  Aethiopia,  many  have  concluded  the  Gihon  to  be 
the  Nile,  which  in  that  case  must  have  had  the  same  fountain-head,  or 
at  least  risen  in  the  same  region  with  the  Euphrates.  Others,  suppos- 
ing it  to  be  a  district  of  the  Tigris,  near  the  Persian  Gulf,  imagine  the 
Gihon  to  be  one  of  the  mouths  of  the  united  Euphrates  and  Tigris,  and 
thus  give  a  distorted  sense  to  the  statement  that  the  four  streams  issued 
from  one.  This  supposition,  moreover,  rests  on  the  precarious  hypoth- 
esis that  the  two  rivers  had  always  a  common  neck.  The  supposition 
that  Havilah  was  in  Arabia  or  on  the  Indian  Ocean  is  liable  to  the  same 
objections.  Hence  the  presumption  that  these  names  are  postdiluvian 
embarrasses  the  meaning  of  the  passage. 

3d.  If  these  names  be  primeval,  the  present  document  in  its  integ- 


S2  THE  GARDEN. 

rity  may  have  been  composed  in  the  time  of  Adam ;  and  this  accounts 
in  the  most  satisfactory  manner  for  the  preservation  of  these  traditions 
of  the  primitive  age. 

4th.  The  existence  of  antedihivian  documents  containing  these  origi- 
nal names  Avould  expl.un  in  the  simplest  manner  the  difference  in 
the  localities  signified  by  them  before  and  after  the  deluge.  This  dif- 
ference has  tended  to  invalidate  the  authenticity  of  the  book  in  the 
eyes  of  some  ;  whereas  the  existence  of  antiquated  names  in  a  docu- 
ment, though  failing  to  convey  to  us  much  historical  information,  is 
calculated  to  impress  us  with  a  sense  of  its  antiquity  and  authenticity. 
And  this  is  of  more  importance  than  a  little  geographical  knowledge  in 
a  work  whose  paramount  object  is  to  teach  moral  and  religious  truth. 

5th.  It  is  the  habit  of  the  sacred  writers  not  to  neglect  the  old 
names  of  former  writers,  but  to  append  to  them  or  conjoin  with  them 
the  later  or  better  known  equivalents,  v/hen  they  wish  to  present  a 
knowledge  of  the  place  and  its  former  history.  Thus,  "  Bela,  this  is 
Zoar  "  (Gen.  xiv.  2,  8)  ;  "  Kiriath-Arba,  this  is  Hebron"  (Gen.  xxiii. 
2)  ;  "Ephrath,  this  is  Bethlehem"  (Gen.  xxxv.  19). 

6th.  These  names  would  be  orignally  personal ;  and  hence  we  can 
see  a  sufficient  reason  why  the  sons  of  Noah  renevi^ed  them  in  their 
families,  as  they  were  naturally  disposed  to  perpetuate  the  memory  of 
their  distinguished  ancestors. 

II.  The  second  hypothesis,  that  the  present  form  of  the  document; 
originated  in  the  time  of  Noah,  after  the  Hood,  is  supported  by  the  fol- 
lowing considerations  :  1st.  It  accounts  for  the  three  names  of  coun- 
tries in  the  easiest  manner.  The  three  descendants  of  Noah  had  by 
this  time  given  their  names  to  these  countries.  The  supposition  of  a 
double  origin  or  application  of  these  names  is  not  necessary. 

2d.  It  accounts  for  the  change  in  the  localities  bearing  these  names. 
The  migrations  and  dispersions  of  tribes  carried  the  names  to  new  and 
various  districts  in  the  time  intervening  between  Noah  and  Moses. 

3d.  It  represents  with  sufficient  exactness  the  locality  of  the  garden. 
The  deluge  may  not  have  greatly  altered  the  general  featui-es  of  the 
countries.  It  may  not  be  intended  to  represent  the  four  rivers  as  de- 
rived from  any  common  head  stream ;  it  may  only  be  meant  that  the 
water  system  of  the  countiy  gathered  into  four  principal  rivers.  The 
names  of  all  these  are  primeval.  Two  of  them  have  descended  to  our 
days,  because  a  permanent  body  of  natives  remained  on  their  banks. 
The  other  two  names  have  changed  with  the  change  of  the  inhabitants. 

4th.  It  allows  for  primeval  documents,  if  such  existed  of  so  early  a 


GEN.  II.  8-14.  93 

date.  The  surviving  document  was  prepared  from  such  preexisting 
•writings,  or  from  oral  traditions  of  early  days,  as  yet  unalloyed  with 
error  in  the  God-fearing  family  of  Noah. 

5th.  It  is  favored  by  the  absence  of  explanatory  proper  names, 
which  we  might  have  expected  if  there  had  been  any  change  known 
at  the  time  of  composition. 

III.  The  hypothesis  that  Moses  was  not  merely  the  authenticator, 
but  the  composer  of  this  as  well  as  the  preceding  and  subsequent  doc- 
uments of  Genesis,  has  some  very  strong  grounds.  1st.  It  explains 
the  local  names  with  the  same  simplicity  as  in  the  preceding  case  (1). 
2d.  It  allows  for  primeval  and  successive  documents  equally  well  (4), 
the  rivers  Pishon  and  Gihon  and  the  primary  Havilah  and  Kush 
being  still  in  the  memory  of  man,  though  they  disappeared  from  the 
records  of  later  times.  3d.  It  notifies  with  fidelity  to  the  attentive 
reader  the  changes  in  the  geographical  designations  of  the  past.  4th. 
It  accounts  for  the  occurrence  of  comparatively  late  names  of  localities 
in  an  account  of  primeval  times.  5th.  It  explains  the  extreme  brevity 
of  these  ancient  notices.  If  documents  had  been  composed  from  time 
to  time  and  inserted  in  their  original  state  in  the  book  of  God,  it  must 
have  been  a  very  voluminous  and  unmanageable  record  at  a  very  early 
period. 

These  presumptions  might  now  be  summed  up  and  compared,  and 
the  balance  of  pi-obability  struck,  as  is  usually  done.  But  we  feel 
bound  not  to  do  so.  1st.  We  have  not  all  the  possibilities  before  us, 
neither  is  it  in  the  power  of  human  imagination  to  enumerate  them, 
and  therefore  we  have  not  the  whole  data  for  a  calculation  of  proba- 
bilities. 2d,  We  have  enough  to  do  with  facts,  without  elevating  prob- 
abilities into  the  rank  of  facts,  and  thereby  hopelessly  embarrassing  the 
whole  premises  of  our  deductive  knowledge.  Philosophy,  and  in  par- 
ticular the  philosophy  of  criticism,  has  suffered  long  from  this  cause. 
Its  very  first  principles  have  been  overlaid  with  foregone  conclusions, 
and  its  array  of  seeming  facts  has  been  impaired  and  enfeebled  by  the 
presence  of  many  a  sturdy  probability  or  improbability  in  the  solemn 
guise  of  a  mock  fact.  3d.  The  supposed  fact  of  a  set  of  documents 
composed  by  successive  authors,  duly  labelled  and  handed  down  to 
Moses  to  be  merely  collected  into  the  book  of  Genesis,  if  it  was  lurk- 
ing in  any  mmd,  stands  detected  as  only  a  probability  or  improbability 
at  best.  The  second  document  implies  facts,  which  are  possibly  not 
recorded  till  the  fifth.  4th.  And,  lastly,  there  is  no  impossibility  or 
improbability  in  Moses  being   not  the  compiler  but  the  immediate 


94 


THE  CQ-MllAi;!). 


author  of  tlio  whole  of  Genesis,  though  it  be  morally  certain  that  he 
had  oral  or  written  memoranda  of  the  past  before  his  mind. 


XII.    THE  COMTiIAND.  —  Gen.  ii.  15-17. 
15.  ti!i3  rest,  dwell.         'nn^'  ii^ork,  till,  serve,         ^"C'ci  hep,  (juard. 

15.  And  the  Lord  God  took  the  man,  and  put  him  into  the 
garden  of  Eden  to  dress  it  and  to  keep  it.  IG.  And  the  Lord 
God  commanded  the  man,  sa3dng,  Of  every  tree  of  the  garden, 
cat,  eat  mayest  thou.  IT.  But  of  the  tree  of  the  kno\v'ledge 
of  good  and  evil  thou  shalt  not  eat  of  it ;  for  in  tlie  day  of  thy 
eating  of  it,  die,  die  shalt  thou. 

We  have  here  the  education  of  man  summed  up  in  a  single  sentence. 
Let  us  endeavor  to  unfold  the  great  lessons  that  are  here  taught. 

15.  The  Lord  God  took  the  man.  The  same  omnipotent  hand  that 
made  him  still  held  him.  And  put  him  into  the  garden.  The  original 
word  is  "  caused  him  to  rest,"  or  dwell  in  the  garden  as  an  abode  of 
peace  and  recreation.  To  dress  it  and  to  keep  it.  The  plants  of  na- 
ture, left  to  their  own  course,  may  degenerate  and  become  wild  through 
the  poverty  of  the  soil  on  which  they  alight,  or  the  gradual  exhaustion 
of  a  once  rich  soil.  The  hand  of  rational  man,  therefore,  has  its  appro- 
priate sphere  in  preparing  and  enriching  tlie  soil,  and  in  distributing 
the  seeds  and  training  the  shoots  in  tlie  way  most  favorable  for  the 
full  development  of  the  plant,  and  especially  of  its  seed  or  fruits.  This 
"  dressing  "  Avas  needed  even  in  the  garden.  The  "  keeping "  of  it 
may  refer  to  the  guarding  of  it  by  enclosure  from  the  deprcdationr,  of 
the  cattle,  the  wild  beasts,  or  even  the  smaller  animals.  It  includes 
also  the  faith.ful  preservation  of  it  as  a  trust  committed  to  m;in  by  his 
bounteous  Maker.  There  was  now  a  man  to  till  the  soil.  The  second 
want  of  the  world  of  plants  was  now  supplied.  Gardening  was  the 
first  occupation  of  primeval  man. 

IG,  17.  And  the  Lord  God  commanded  the  man,  saying.  This  is  a 
pregnant  sentence.  It  involves  the  first  lirinciples  of  our  intellectual 
and  moral  philosophy. 

I.  The  command  here  given  in  words  brings  into  activity  the  Intel- 


GEN.  11.  15-17.  95 

lectual  nature  of  man.  1st.  The  power  of  understancling  languag(i  is 
called  forth.  The  command  here  addressed  to  him  by  his  Maker  is 
totally  different  from  the  blessings  addressed  to  the  animals  in  the 
preceding  chapter.  It  was  not  necessary  that  these  blessings  should 
be  understood  in  order  to  be  carried  into  effect,  inasmuch  as  He  who 
pronounced  them  gave  the  instincts  and  powers  requisite  to  their 
accomplishment.  But  this  command  addressed  to  man  in  words  must 
be  understood  in  order  to  be  obeyed.  The  capacity  for  understanding 
language,  then,  was  originally  lodged  in  the  constitution  of  man,  and 
only  required  to  be  called  out  by  the  articulate  voice  of  God.  Still 
there  is  something  wonderful  here,  something  beyond  the  present  grasp 
and  promptitude  of  human  apprehension.  If  we  except  the  blessing, 
which  may  not  have  been  heard,  or  may  not  have  been  uttered  before 
this  command,  these  words  were  absolutely  the  first  that  were  heard 
by  man.  The  significance  of  the  sentences  tliey  formed  must  have 
been  at  the  same  time  conveyed  to  man  by  immediate  divine  teaching. 
How  tbe  lesson  was  taught  in  an  instant  of  time  we  cannot  explain, 
though  we  have  a  distant  resemblance  of  it  in  an  infant  learning  to 
understand  its  mother-tongue.  This  process,  indeed,  goes  over  a  space 
of  two  years ;  but  still  there  is  an  instant  in  which  the  first  conception 
of  a  sign  is  formed,  the  first  word  is  apprehended,  the  first  sentence  is 
understood.  In  that  instant  the  knowledge  of  language  is  virtually 
attained.  With  man,  created  at  once  in  his  full  though  undeveloped 
powers,  and  still  unaffected  by  any  moral  taint,  this  instant  came  with 
the  first  words  spoken  to  his  ear  and  to  his  soul  by  his  Maker's  im- 
pressive voice,  and  the  first  lesson  of  language  was  at  once  thoroughly 
taught  and  learned.  Man  is  now  master  of  the  theory  of  speech  ;  the 
conception  of  a  sign  has  been  conveyed  into  his  mind.  This  is  the 
passive  lesson  of  elocution :  the  practice,  the  active  lesson,  will  speedily 
follow. 

Not  only  the  secondary  part,  however,  but  at  the  same  time  the 
primaiy  and  fundamental  part  of  man's  intellectual  nature  is  here 
developed.  The  understanding  of  the  sign  necessarily  implies  the 
knowledge  of  the  thing  signified.  The  objective  is  represented  here 
by  the  "  trees  of  the  garden."  The  subjective  comes  before  his  mind 
in  the  pronoun  "  thou."  The  physical  constitution  of  man  appears  in 
the  process  of  "  eating."  The  moral  part  of  his  nature  comes  out  in 
the  significance  of  the  words  "  mayest "  and  "  shalt  not."  The  dis- 
tinction of  merit  in  actions  and  things  is  expressed  in  the  epithets 
"  good  and  evil."    The  notion  of  reward  is  conveyed  in  the  terms  "  life  " 


yb  TIIE  COMM2VXD. 

and  "  death."  And,  lastly,  the  presence  and  authority  of  "  the  Lord 
God  "  is  implied  in  the  very  nature  of  a  command.  Here  is  at  least 
the  opening  of  a  wide  field  of  obsex^vation  for  the  nascent  powers  of 
the  mind.  He,  indeed,  must  bear  the  image  of  God  in  perceptive 
powers,  who  shall  scan  with  heedful  eye  the  loftiest  as  well  as  the 
lowest  in  these  varied  scenes  of  reality.  But  as  with  the  sign,  so  with 
the  thing  signified,  a  glance  of  intelligence  instantaneously  begins 
the  converse  of  the  susceptible  mind  with  the  world  of  reality  around, 
and  the  enlargement  of  the  sphere  of  human  knowledge  is  merely  a 
matter  of  time  without  end.  How  rapidly  the  process  of  apprehension 
would  go  on  in  the  opening  davvn  of  man's  intellectual  activity,  how 
many  flashes  of  intelligence  would  be  compressed  into  a  few  moments 
of  his  first  consciousness,  we  cannot  tell.  But  we  can  readily  believe 
that  he  would  soon  be  able  to  form  a  just  yet  an  infantile  conception 
of  the  varied  themes  which  are  presented  to  his  mind  in  this  brief 
command. 

Thus  the  susceptible  part  of  man's  intellect  is  evoked.  The  con- 
ceptive  part  will  speedily  follow,  and  display  itself  in  the  many  inven- 
tions that  will  be  sought  out  and  applied  to  the  objects  which  are  placed 
at  his  disposal. 

II.  1st.  Next,  the  moral  part  of  man's  nature  is  here  called  into 
play.  Mark  God's  mode  of  teaching.  He  issues  a  command.  This 
is  required  in  order  to  bring  forth  into  consciousness  the  hitherto  latent 
sensibility  to  moral  obligation  which  was  laid  in  the  original  constitu- 
tion of  man's  being.  A  command  implies  a  superior,  whose  right  it  is 
to  command,  and  an  inferior,  whose  duty  it  is  to  obey.  The  only  ulti- 
mate and  absolute  ground  of  supremacy  is  creating,  and  of  inferiority, 
being  created.  The  Creator  is  the  only  proper  and  entire  owner  ;  and, 
within  legitimate  bounds,  the  owner  has  the  right  to  do  what  he  will 
with  his  own.  The  laying  on  of  this  command,  therefore,  brings  man 
to  the  recognition  of  his  dependence  for  being  and  for  the  character  of 
that  being  on  his  Maker.  From  the  knowledge  of  the  fundamental 
relation  of  the  creature  to  the  Creator  springs  an  immediate  sense  of 
the  obligation  he  is  under  to  render  implicit  obedience  to  the  Author 
of  his  being.  This  is,  therefore,  man's  first  lesson  in  morals.  It  calls 
up  in  his  breast  the  sense  of  duty,  of  right,  of  responsibility.  These 
feelings  could  not  have  been  elicited  unless  the  moral  susceptibility  had 
been  laid  in  the  soul,  and  only  waited  for  the  first  command  to  awaken 
it  into  consciousness.  This  lesson,  however,  is  only  the  incidental 
effect  of  the  command,  and  not  the  primary  ground  of  its  imposition. 


GEN.  II.  15-17.  97 

2d.  The  special  mandate  liere  given  is  not  arbitrary  in  its  form,  as  is 
sometimes  hastily  supposed,  but  absolutely  essential  to  the  legal  adjust- 
ment of  things  in  this  nev.^  stage  of  creation.  Antecedent  to  the  behest 
of  the  Creator,  the  only  indefeasible  right  to  all  the  creatures  lay  in 
himself.  These  creatures  may  be  related  to  one  another.  In  the 
great  system  of  things,  through  the  wonderful  wisdom  of  the  grand 
Designer,  the  use  of  some  may  be  needful  to  the  well-being,  the  devel- 
opment, and  perpetuation  of  others.  Nevertheless,  no  one  has  a  shadow 
of  right  in  the  original  nature  of  things  to  the  use  of  any  other.  And 
when  a  moral  agent  comes  upon  the  stage  of  being,  in  order  to  mark 
out  the  sphere  of  his  legitimate  action,  an  explicit  declaration  of  the 
rights  over  other  creatures  granted  and  reserved  must  be  made.  The 
very  issue  of  the  command  proclaims  man's  original  right  of  property 
to  be,  not  inherent,  but  derived. 

As  might  be  expected  in  these  circumstances,  the  command  has  two 
clauses,  —  a  permissive  and  a  prohibitive.  "  Of  every  tree  of  the  gar- 
den thou  mayst  freely  eat."  This  displays  in  conspicuous  terms  the 
benignity  of  the  Creator.  "  But  of  the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good 
and  evil  thou  shalt  not  eat."  This  signalizes  the  absolute  right  of  the 
Creator  over  all  the  trees,  and  over  man  himself  One  tree  only  is 
withheld,  which,  whatever  were  its  qualities,  was  at  all  events  not  ne- 
cessary to  the  well-being  of  man.  All  the  others  that  were  likely  for 
sight  and  good  for  food,  including  the  tree  of  life,  are  made  over  to  him 
by  free  grant.  In  this  original  provision  for  the  vested  rights  of  man 
in  creation,  we  cannot  but  acknowledge  with  gratitude  and  humility 
the  generoiis  and  considerate  bounty  of  the  Creator.  This  is  not  more 
conspicuous  in  the  bestowment  of  all  the  other  trees  than  in  the  with- 
holding of  the  one,  the  participation  of  which  was  fraught  with  evil  to 
mankind. 

3d.  The  prohibitory  part  of  this  enactment  is  not  a  matter  of  indiiFer- 
ence,  as  is  sometimes  imagined,  but  indispensable  to  the  nature  of  a 
command,  and,  in  particular,  of  a  permissive  act  or  declaration  of 
granted  rights.  Every  command  has  a  negative  part,  expressed  or 
implied,  without  which  it  would  be  no  command  at  all.  The  command, 
"  Go  work  to-day  in  my  vineyard,"  implies  thou  shalt  7iot  do  anything 
else ;  otherwise  the  son  who  works  not  obeys  as  well  as  the  son  who 
works.  The  present  address  of  God  to  Adam,  without  the  exceptive 
clause,  would  be  a  mere  license,  and  not  a  command.  But  with  the 
exceptive  clause  it  is  a  command,  and  tantamount  in  meaning  to  the 
following  positive  injunction :  Thou  mayest  eat  of  these  trees  onlj/.  An. 
13 


98  THE  COMMAND. 

edict  of  license  with  a  restrictive  clause  is  the  mildest  form  of  command 
that  could  have  been  imposed  for  the  trial  of  human  obedience.  Some 
may  have  thought  that  it  would  have  been  better  for  man  if  there  had 
been  no  tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil.  But  second  thoughts 
will  correct  this  rash  and  wrong  conclusion.  1st.  This  tree  may  have 
had  other  purposes  to  serve  in  the  economy  of  things  of  which  we  are 
not  aware  ;  and,  if  so,  it  could  not  have  been  absent  without  detriment 
to  the  general  good.  2d.  But  without  any  supposition  at  all,  the  tree 
was  fraught  with  no  evil  whatever  to  man  in  itself.  It  was  in  the  first 
instance  the  instrument  of  great  good,  of  the  most  precious  kind,  to 
him.  It  served  the  purpose  of  calling  up  into  view  out  of  the  depths 
of  his  nature  the  notion  of  moral  obligation,  with  all  the  kindred 
notions  of  the  inherent  authority  of  the  Creator  and  the  innate  subor- 
dination of  himself,  the  creature,  of  the  aboriginal  right  of  the  Creator 
alone  in  all  the  creatures,  and  the  utter  absence  of  any  right  in  him- 
self to  any  other  creature  whatsoever.  The  command  concerning  this 
tree  thus  set  his  moral  convictions  agoing,  and  awakened  in  him  the 
new  and  pleasing  consciousness  that  he  was  a  moral  being,  and  not  a 
mere  clod  of  the  valley  or  brute  of  the  field.  This  is  the  first  thing 
this  tree  did  for  man ;  and  we  shall  find  it  would  have  done  a  still  bet- 
ter thing  for  him  if  he  had  only  made  a  proper  use  of  it.  3d.  The 
absence  of  this  tree  would  not  at  all  have  secured  Adam  from  the  pos- 
sibility or  the  consequence  of  disobedience.  Any  grant  to  him  what- 
soever must  have  been  made  with  the  reserve,  imphcit  or  explicit,  of  the 
rights  of  all  others.  The  thing  reserved  must  in  equity  have  been  made 
known  to  him.  In  the  present  course  of  things  it  must  have  come 
in  his  way,  and  his  trial  would  have  been  inevitable,  and  therefore  his 
fall  possible.  Now,  the  forbidden  tree  is  merely  the  thing  reserved. 
Besides,  even  if  man  had  been  introduced  into  a  sphere  of  existence 
where  no  reserved  tree  or  other  thing  could  ever  have  come  within  the 
range  of  his  observation,  and  so  no  outward  act  of  disobedience  could 
have  been  perpetrated,  still,  as  a  being  of  moral  susceptibility,  he  must 
come  to  the  acknowledgment,  express  or  implied,  of  the  rights  of  the 
heavenly  crown,  before  a  mutual  good  understanding  could  have  been 
established  between  him  and  his  Maker.  Thus  we  perceive  that  even 
in  the  impossible  Utopia  of  metaphysical  abstraction  there  is  a  virtual 
forbidden  tree  which  forms  tlie  test  of  a  man's  moral  relation  to  his 
Creator.  Now,  if  the  reserve  be  necessary,  and  therefore  the  test  of 
obedience  inevitable,  to  a  moral  being,  it  only  remains  to  inquire  whether 
the  test  employed  be  suitable  and  seasonable. 


GEN.  II.  15-17.  99 

4th.  That  which  is  here  made  the  matter  of  reserve,  and  so  the  test 
of  obedience,  is  so  far  from  being  trivial  or  out  of  place,  as  has  been 
imagined,  that  it  is  the  proper  and  the  only  object  immediately  avail- 
able for  these  pui'poses.  The  immediate  want  of  man  is  food.  The 
kind  of  food  primarily  designed  for  him  is  the  fruit  of  trees.  Grain, 
the  secondary  kind  of  vegetable  diet,  is  the  product  of  the  farm  rather 
than  of  the  garden,  and  therefore  does  not  now  come  into  use.  As  the 
law  must  be  laid  down  before  man  proceeds  to  an  act  of  appropriation, 
the  matter  of  reserve  and  consequent  test  of  obedience  is  the  fruit  of 
a  tree.  Only  by  this  can  man  at  present  learn  the  lessons  of  morality. 
To  devise  any  other  means,  not  arising  from  the  actual  state  of  things 
in  which  man  was  placed,  would  have  been  arbitrary  and  unreasonable. 
The  immediate  sphere  of  obedience  lies  in  the  circumstances  in  which 
he  actually  stands.  These  afforded  no  occasion  for  any  other  com- 
mand than  that  which  is  given.  Adam  had  no  father,  or  mother,  or 
neighbor,  male  or  female,  and  therefore  the  second  table  of  the  law 
could  not  apply.  But  he  had  a  relation  to  his  Maker,  and  legislation 
on  this  could  not  be  postponed.  The  command  assumes  the  kindest, 
most  intelligible,  and  convenient  form  for  the  infantile  mind  of  primeval 
man. 

5th.  We  are  now  prepared  to  understand  why  this  tree  is  called  the 
tree  of  the  knoAvledge  of  good  and  evil.  The  prohibition  of  this  tree 
brings  man  to  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil.  The  products  of  cre- 
ative power  were  all  very  good  (Gen.  i.  31)  .  Even  this  tree  itself  is 
good,  and  productive  of  unspeakable  good  in  the  first  instance  to  man. 
The  discernment  of  merit  comes  up  in  his  mind  by  this  tree.  Obedi- 
ence to  the  command  of  God  not  to  partake  of  this  tree  is  a  moral 
good.  Disobedience  to  God  by  partaking  of  it  is  a  moral  evil.  "When 
we  have  formed  an  idea  of  a  quality,  we  have  at  the  same  time  an  idea 
of  its  contrary.  By  the  command  concerning  this  tree  man  became 
possessed  of  the  conceptions  of  good  and  evil,  and  so,  theoretically, 
acquainted  with  their  nature.  This  was  that  first  lesson  in  morals  of 
which  we  have  spoken.  It  is  quite  evident  that  this  knowledge  could 
not  be  any  physical  effect  of  the  tree,  seeing  its  fruit  was  forbidden.  It 
is  obvious  also  that  evil  is  as  yet  known  in  this  fair  world  only  as  the 
negative  of  good.  Hence  the  tree  is  the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of 
good  and  evil,  because  by  the  command  concerning  it  man  comes  to 
this  knowledge. 

6th.  In  the  day  of  thy  eating  thereof,  die  surely  shalt  thou.  The  divine 
command  is  accompanied  with  its  awful  sanction,  —  death.     The  man 


100  TIIE  COMMAND. 

could  not  at  this  time  have  any  practical  knowledge  of  the  physical 
dissolution  called  death.  We  must,  therefore,  suppose  either  that  God 
made  him  preternatu rally  acquainted  with  it,  or  that  he  conveyed  to 
him  the  knowledge  of  it  simply  as  the  negation  of  life.  The  latter 
hypothesis  is  to  be  preferred,  for  several  reasons.  First,  it  is  the  more 
economical  mode  of  instruction.  Such  knowledge  may  be  imparted  to 
man  without  anticipating  experience.  He  was  already  conscious  of 
life  as  a  pure  blessing.  He  was  therefore  capable  of  forming  an  idea 
of  its  loss.  And  death  in  the  physical  sense  of  the  cessation  of  ani- 
mal life  and  the  disorganization  of  the  body,  he  would  come  to  under- 
stand in  due  tim.e  by  experience.  Secondly,  death  in  reference  to  man 
is  regarded  in  Scripture  much  more  as  the  privation  of  life  in  the  sense 
of  a  state  of  favor  with  God  and  consequent  happiness  than  as  the 
mere  cessation  of  animal  life  (Gen.  xxviii.  13;  Exod.  iii.  6;  Matt. 
xxii.  32).  Thirdly,  the  presence  and  privilege  of  the  tree  of  life 
would  enable  man  to  see  how  easily  he  could  be  deprived  of  life,  es- 
pecially when  he  began  to  drink  in  its  life-sustaining  juices  and  feel 
the  flow  of  vitality  rushing  through  his  veins  and  refreshing  his  whole 
physical  nature.  Take  away  this  tree,  and  with  all  the  other  resources 
of  nature  he  cannot  but  eventually  di-oop  and  die.  Fourthly,  the  man 
would  thus  regard  his  exclusion  from  the  tree  of  life  as  the  earnest  of 
the  sentence  which  would  come  to  its  fulness,  when  the  animal  frame 
would  at  length  sink  down  under  the  wear  and  tear  of  life  like  the 
beasts  that  perish.  Then  would  ensue  to  the  dead  but  perpetually 
existing  soul  of  man  the  total  privation  of  all  the  sweets  of  life,  and  the 
experience  of  all  the  ills  of  penal  death. 

III.  Man  has  here  evidently  become  acquainted  with  his  Maker.  On 
the  hearing  and  understanding  of  this  sentence,  at  least,  if  not  before, 
he  has  arrived  at  the  knowledge  of  God,  as  existing,  thinking,  speak- 
ing, permitting,  commanding,  and  thereby  exercising  all  the  prerogatives 
of  that  absolute  authority  over  men  and  things  which  creation  alone 
can  give.  If  we  were  to  draw  all  this  out  into  distinct  propositions,  we 
should  find  that  man  was  here  furnished  with  a  whole  system  of  theol- 
ogy, ethics,  and  metaphysics,  in  a  brief  sentence.  It  may  be  said,  in- 
deed, that  we  need  not  suppose  all  this  conveyed  in  the  sentence  before 
us.  But,  at  all  events,  all  this  is  implied  in  the  few  words  here  re- 
corded to  have  been  addressed  to  Adam,  and  there  was  not  much  time 
between  his  creation  and  his  location  in  the  garden  for  conveying  any 
preliminary  information.  "We  may  suppose  the  substance  of  the  nar- 
rative contained  in  Gen.  i.  2,  3,  to  have  been  communicated  to  him  in 


GEN.  II.  18-20.  101 

due  time.  But  it  could  not  be  all  conveyed  yet,  as  we  are  only  in  the 
sixth  day,  and  the  i-ecord  in  question  reaches  to  the  end  of  the  seventh. 
It  was  not,  therefore,  composed  until  after  that  day  had  elapsed. 

It  is  to  be  noticed  here  that  God  reserves  to  himself  the  administra- 
tion of  the  divine  law.  This  was  absolutely  necessary  at  the  present 
stage  of  affairs,  as  man  was  but  an  individual  subject,  and  not  yet  spread 
out  into  a  multitude  of  people.  Civil  government  was  not  formally 
constituted  till  after  the  deluge. 

We  can  hardly  overestimate  the  benefit,  in  the  rapid  development 
of  his  mind,  which  Adam  thus  derived  from  the  presence  and  converse 
of  his  Maker.  If  no  voice  had  struck  his  ear,  no  articulate  sentence 
had  reached  his  intellect,  no  authoritative  command  had  penetrated 
his  conscience,  no  perception  of  the  Eternal  Spirit  had  been  presented 
to  his  apprehension,  he  might  have  been  long  in  the  mute,  rude,  and 
imperfectly  developed  state  which  has  sometimes  been  ascribed  to  pri- 
meval man.  But  if  contact  with  a  highly  accomplished  master  and  a 
highly  polished  state  of  society  makes  all  the  difference  between  the 
savage  and  the  civilized,  what  instantaneous  expansion  and  elevation 
of  the  primitive  mind,  while  yet  in  its  virgin  purity  and  unimpaired 
power,  must  have  resulted  from  free  converse  with  the  all-perfect 
mind  of  the  Creator  himself!  To  the  clear  eye  of  native  genius  a 
starting  idea  is  a  whole  science.  By  the  insinuation  of  a  few  funda- 
mental and  germinant  notions  into  his  mind,  Adam  shot  up  at  once 
into  the  full  height  and  compass  of  a  master  spirit  prepared  to  scan 
creation  and  adore  the  Creator. 


XIII.    THE  NAMING  OF  THE  ANIMALS.  — Gen.  ii.  18-20. 

18.  And  the  Lord  God  said,  It  is  not  good  that  man  should 
be  alone :  I  will  make  a  helpmeet  for  him.  19.  And  the  Lord 
God  formed  out  of  the  soil  every  beast  of  the  field,  and  every 
fowl  of  the  skies,  and  brought  to  the  man  to  see  what  he 
would  call  them  ;  and  whatsoever  the  man  called  the  living 
tiling,  that  was  the  name  thereof.  20.  And  the  man  gave 
names  to  all  the  cattle,  and  to  the  fowl  of  the  skies,  and  to 
every  beast  of  the  field ;  and  for  Adam  was  not  found  a  help- 
meet for  him. 


102  THE  NAMING  OF  THE  ANIMALS. 

Here  man's  intellectual  faculties  proceed  from  tlie  passive  and  re- 
ceptive to  the  active  and  communicative  stage.  This  advance  is  made 
in  the  review  and  designation  of  the  various  sj)ecies  of  animals  that 
frequent  the  land  and  skies. 

18.  A  new  and  final  want  of  man  is  here  stated.  The  Creator 
himself,  in  whose  image  he  was  made,  had  revealed  himself  to  him  in 
language.  This,  among  many  other  effects,  awakened  the  social  affec- 
tion. This  affection  was  the  index  of  social  capacity.  The  first  step 
towards  communication  between  kindred  spu'its  was  accomplished  when 
Adam  heard  and  understood  spoken  language.  Beyond  all  this  God 
knew  what  was  in  the  man  whom  he  had  formed.  And  he  expresses 
this  in  the  words,  "  It  is  not  good  for  the  man  to  be  alone."  He  is 
formed  to  be  social,  to  hold  converse,  not  only  with  his  supei'ior,  but 
also  with  his  equal.  As  yet  he  is  but  a  unit,  an  individual.  He  needs 
a  mate,  with  whom  he  may  take  sweet  counsel.  And  the  benevolent 
Creator  resolves  to  supply  this  want.  "  I  will  make  him  a  helpmeet 
for  him,"  —  one  who  may  not  only  reciprocate  his  feelings,  but  take  an 
intelligent  and  appropriate  part  in  his  active  pursuits. 

19.  Here,  as  in  several  previous  instances  (Gen.  i.  5b,  ii.  4,  8,  9), 
tlie  narrative  reverts  to  the  earlier  part  of  the  sixth  day.  This  is, 
therefore,  another  example  of  the  connection  according  to  thought  over- 
ruling that  according  to  time.  The  order  of  time,  however,  is  restored, 
when  we  take  in  a  sufficient  portion  of  the  narrative.  "We  refer,  there- 
fore, to  the  fifth  verse,  which  is  the  regulative  sentence  of  the  present 
passage.  The  second  clause  in  the  verse,  however,  which  in  the  pres- 
ent case  completes  the  thought  in  the  mind  of  the  writer,  brings  up  the 
narrative  to  a  point  subsequent  to  that  closing  the  preceding  verse. 
The  first  two  clauses,  therefore,  are  to  be  combined  into  one  ;  and  when 
this  is  done,  the  order  of  time  is  observed. 

Man  has  already  become  acquainted  with  his  Maker.  He  has 
opened  his  eyes  upon  the  trees  of  the  garden,  and  learned  to  distinguish' 
at  least  two  of  them  by  name.  He  is  now  to  be  introduced  to  the 
animal  kingdom,  with  which  he  is  connected  by  his  physical  nature, 
and  of  which  he  is  the  constituted  lord.  Not  many  hours  or  minutes 
before  have  they  been  called  into  existence.  They  are  not  yet,  there- 
fore, multiplied  or  scattered  over  the  earth,  and  so  do  not  require  to  be 
gathered  for  the  purpose.  The  end  of  this  introduction  is  said  to  be 
to  see  what  he  would  call  them.  To  name  is  to  distinguish  the  nature 
of  anything  and  do  denote  the  thing  by  a  sound  bearing  some  analogy 
to  its  nature.     To  name  is  ako  the  prerogative  of  the  owner,  superior. 


GEN.  11.  18-20.  103 

or  head.  Doubtless  the  animals  instinctively  distinguished  man  as  their 
lord  paramount,  so  far  as  his  person  and  eye  came  within  their  actual 
observation.  God  had  given  man  his  first  lesson  in  speech,  when  he 
caused  him  to  hear  and  understand  the  spoken  command.  He  now 
places  him  in  a  condition  to  put  forth  his  naming  power,  and  thereby 
go  through  the  second  lesson. 

With  the  infant,  the  acquisition  of  language  must  be  a  gradual 
process,  inasmuch  as  the  vast  multitude  of  words  which  constitute  its 
vocabulary  has  to  be  heard  one  by  one  and  noted  in  the  memory.  The 
infant  is  thus  the  passive  recipient  of  a  fully  formed  and  long-estab- 
lished medium  of  converse.  The  first  man,  on  the  other  hand,  having 
received  the  conception  of  language,  became  himself  the  free  and 
active  inventor  of  the  greatest  part  of  its  words.  He  accordingly  dis- 
cerns the  kinds  of  animals,  and  gives  each  its  appropriate  name.  The 
highly  excited  powers  of  imagination  and  analogy  break  forth  into 
utterance,  even  before  he  has  any  one  to  hear  and  understand  his 
words  but  the  Creator  himself 

This  indicates  to  us  a  twofold  use  of  language.  First,  it  serves  to 
register  things  and  events  in  the  apprehension  and  the  memory.  Man 
has  a  singular  power  of  conferring  with  himself  This  he  carries  on  by 
means  of  language,  in  some  form  or  other.  He  bears  some  resemblance 
to  his  Maker  even  in  the  complexity  of  his  spiritual  nature.  He  is  at 
once  speaker  and  hearer,  and  yet  at  the  same  time  he  is  consciously 
one.  Secondly,  it  is  a  medium  of  intelligent  communication  between 
spirits  who  cannot  read  another's  thoughts  by  immediate  intuition. 
The  first  of  these  uses  seems  to  have  preceded  the  second  in  the  case 
of  Adam,  who  was  the  former  of  the  first  language.  The  reflecting 
reader  can  tell  what  varied  powers  of  reason  are  involved  in  the  use  of 
language,  and  to  what  an  extent  the  mind  of  man  was  developed,  when 
he  proceeded  to  name  the  several  classes  of  birds  and  beasts.  He  was 
evidently  fitted  for  the  highest  enjoyments  of  social  intercourse. 

Among  the  trees  in  the  garden  God  took  the  initiative,  named  the 
two  that  were  conspicuous  and  essential  to  man's  well  being,  and  ut- 
tered the  primeval  command.  Adam  has  now  made  acquaintance  with 
the  animal  world,  and,  profiting  by  the  lesson  of  the  garden,  proceeds 
himself  to  exercise  the  naming  power.  The  names  he  gives  are 
thenceforth  the  permanent  designations  of  the  different  species  of  living 
creatures  that  appeared  before  him.  These  names  being  derived  from, 
some  prominent  quality,  were  fitted  to  be  sj)ecific,  or  common  to  the 
class,  and  not  pecuUar  to  the  individual. 


104  THE  WOJIAN. 

20.  We  find,  however,  there  was  another  end  served  by  this  review 
of  the  animals.  "  There  was  not  found  a  helpmeet  for  the  man,"  —  an 
equal,  a  companion,  a  sharer  of  his  thoughts,  his  observations,  his  joys, 
his  purposes,  his  enterprises.  It  was  now  evident,  from  actual  survey, 
that  none  of  these  animals,  not  even  the  serpent,  was  possessed  of  rea- 
son, of  moral  and  intellectual  ideas,  of  the  faculties  of  abstracting  and 
naming,  of  the  capacities  of  rational  fellowship  or  worship.  Tliey 
might  be  ministers  to  his  purposes,  but  not  helpers  meet  for  him.  On 
the  other  hand,  God  was  the  source  of  his  being  and  the  object  of  his 
reverence,  but  not  on  a  par  with  himself  in  wants  and  resources.  It 
was  therefore  apparent  that  man  in  respect  of  an  equal  was  alone,  and 
yet  needed  an  associate.  Thus  in  this  passage  the  existence  of  the 
want  is  made  out  and  asserted ;  in  keeping  v/ith  the  mode  of  composi- 
tion uniformly  pursued  by  the  sacred  writer  (Gen.  i.  2,  ii.  5). 


XIV.    THE  WOMAN.  —  Gen.  ii.  21-25. 

21.  •T3'n*ir!  deep  sleep,  €K(TTaa-L<i  LXX.  5?^a  rib,  side,  wing  of  a  build- 
ing. 

23.  bys  beat,  stroke,  tread,  anvil.  d-'X  man,  vir.  nt'X  be  Jinn,  as  a 
foundation ;  tidi  be  firm  as  a  substance  ;  t:3X  be  strong  ;  aix  fjive,  help  : 
hence  the  strong,  the  brave,  the  defender,  the  nourisber.  n^jax  woman, 
fern,  of  the  above  ;  wife. 

21.  And  the  Lord  God  caused  a  deep  sleep  to  fall  upon  the 
man,  and  he  slept ;  and  he  took  one  of  his  ribs,  and  closed 
up  the  flesh  instead  thereof.  22.  And  the  Lord  God  built  the 
rib  which  he  had  taken  from  the  man  into  a  woman,  and 
brought  her  unto  the  man.  23.  And  the  man  said,  This  is 
now  bone  of  my  bones  and  flesh  of  my  flesh :  to  her  shall  be 
called  woman,  because  she  was  taken  out  of  a  man.  24.  There- 
fore shall  a  man  leave  his  father  and  his  mother  and  cleave 
unto  his  wife  :  and  they  shall  be  one  flesh.  25.  And  they 
were  both  naked,  the  man  and  his  wife,  and  they  were  not 
ashamed. 


GEN.  II.  21-25.  105 

The  second  creative  step  in  the  constitution  of  man  as  the  natural 
head  oi"  a  race  is  now  described.  This  supplies  the  defect  that  was 
drawn  forlh  into  consciousness  in  the  preceding  passage.  Man  here 
passes  out  of  solitude  into  society,  out  of  unity  into  multiplicity. 

21,  22.  Here  we  find  ourselves  still  in  the  sixth  day.  This  pas- 
sage throws  a  new  light  on  Genesis  i.  27.  It  is  there  stated  that  man 
was  first  created  in  the  image  of  God,  and  then  that  he  was  created 
male  and  female.  From  the  present  passage  we  learn  that  these  two 
acts  of  creation  were  distinct  in  point  of  time.  First,  we  see  man  was 
really  one  in  his  origin,  and  contained  in  this  unity  the  perfection  of 
manhood.  It  does  not  appear,  however,  that  man  was  so  constituted 
by  nature  as  to  throw  off  another  of  the  same  kind  by  his  inherent 
power.  In  fact,  if  he  had,  the  other  should  have  been,  not  a  female, 
but  another  human  being  in  every  respect  like  himself;  and  he  would 
thus  have  resembled  those  plants  that  are  capable  of  being  propagated 
by  a  bud.  Besides,  he  would  have  been  endowed  with  a  power  dif- 
ferent from  his  actual  posterity ;  and  thus  the  head  would  not  have 
corresponded  with  the  members  of  the  race.  The  narrative,  however, 
is  opposed  to  this  view  of  man's  nature.  For  the  change,  by  which  the 
woman  comes  into  existence,  is  directly  ascribed  to  the  original  Maker. 
A  part  of  the  man  is  taken  for  the  purpose,  which  can  be  spared  with- 
out interfcrmg  with  the  integrity  of  his  nature.  It  manifestly  does  not 
constitute  a  woman  by  the  mere  act  of  separation,  as  we  are  told  that 
the  Lord  God  built  it  into  a  woman.  It  is  needless,  therefore,  to  spec- 
ulate whether  the  part  taken  were  literally  a  rib,  or  some  other  side 
piece  designedly  put  there  by  the  provident  Creator,  for  the  purpose 
of  becoming  the  rudiment  of  a  full-grown  woman.  It  is  exjiressly 
called,  not  a  rib,  but  one  of  his  ribs  ;  and  this  evidently  implies  that  he 
had  other  similar  parts.  This  binds  us,  we  conceive,  to  the  literal  rib  ' 
of  bone  and  flesh.  And  thus,  in  accordance  with  the  account  in  the 
foregoing  chapter,  we  have,  first,  the  single  man  created,  the  full  rep- 
resentative and  potential  fountain  of  the  race,  and  then,  out  of  this  one, 
in  the  way  now  described,  we  have  the  male  and  the  female  created. 

The  original  unity  of  man  constitutes  the  strict  unity  of  the  race. 
The  construction  of  the  rib  into  a  woman  establishes  the  individuality 
of  man's  person  before,  as  well  as  after,  the  removal  of  the  rib.  The 
selection  of  a  rib  to  form  into  a  woman  constitutes  her,  in  an  eminent 
sense,  a  helpmeet  for  him,  in  company  with  him,  on  a  footing  of 
equality  with  him.  At  the  same  time,  the  after  building  of  the  part 
into  a  woman  determines  the  distinct  personality  and  individuality  of 
14 


106  THE  WOM^m 

the  woman.  Thus  we  perceive  that  the  entire  race,  even  the  very  first 
mother  of  it,  has  its  essential  unit  and  representative  in  the  first  man. 

The  Almighty  has  called  intelligent  beings  into  existence  in  two 
ways.  The  angels  he  seems  to  have  created  as  individuals  (Mark  xii. 
25),  constituting  an  order  of  beings  the  unity  of  which  lies  in  the  com- 
mon Creator.  Man  he  created  as  the  parent  of  a  race  about  to  spring 
from  a  single  head,  and  having  its  unity  in  that  head.  A  single  angel 
then  stands  by  himself,  and  for  himself;  and  all  his  actions  belong  only 
to  himself,  except  so  far^as  example,  persuasion,  or  leadership  may 
have  involved  others  in  them.  But  the  single  man,  who  is  at  the  same 
time  head  of  a  race,  is  in  quite  a  different  position.  lie  stands  for  the 
race,  which  is  virtually  contained  in  him  ;  and  his  actions  belong  not 
only  to  him  as  an  individual,  but,  in  a  certain  sense,  to  the  whole  race, 
of  which  he  is  at  present  the  sum.  An  angel  counts  only  for  the  unit 
of  his  order.  The  first  man  counts  for  the  v.diole  race  as  long  as  he  is 
alone.  The  one  angel  is  responsible  onlji  for  himself  The  first  man 
is  not  only  an  individual,  but,  as  long  as  he  is  alone,  the  sum  total  of  a 
race  ;  and  is  therefore  so  long  i-esponsible,  not  only  for  himself,  but  for 
the  race,  as  the  head  of  which  he  acts.  This  deep  question  of  race 
will  meet  us  again  at  a  future  stage  of  man's  history. 

As  the  All-wise  Being  never  does  anything  without  reason,  it  be- 
comes an  interesting  question,  why  the  creation  of  woman  was  deferred 
to  this  precise  juncture  in  human  history.  First,  man's  original  unity 
is  the  counterpart  of  the  unity  of  God.  He  was  to  be  made  in  the 
image  of  God,  and  after  his  likeness.  If  the  male  and  the  female  had 
been  created  at  once,  an  essential  feature  of  the  divine  likeness  would 
have  been  wanting.  But,  as  in  the  absolute  One  there  is  no  duality, 
whether  in  sex  or  in  any  other  respect,  so  is  there  none  in  the  original 
form  and  constitution  of  man.  Hence  we  learn  the  absurdity  of  those 
T/ho  import  into  their  notions  of  the  deity  the  distinction  of  sex,  and 
all  the  alliances  which  are  involved  in  a  race  of  gods.  Secondly,  the 
natural  unity  of  the  first  pair,  and  of  the  race  descended  from  them,  is 
established  by  the  primary  creation  of  an  individual,  from  whom  is  de- 
rived, by  a  second  creative  process,  the  first  woman.  The  race  of  man 
is  thus  a  perfect  unity,  flowing  from  a  single  centre  of  human  life. 
Thirdly,  two  remarkable  events  occur  in  the  experience  of  man  before 
the  formation  of  the  woman,  —  his  instalment  in  the  garden  as  its  owner, 
keeper,  and  dresser ;  and  his  review  of  the  animals,  as  their  rational 
superior,  to  Avhom  they  yield  an  instinctive  homage.  By  the  former 
he  is  prepared  to  provide  for  the  sustenance  and  comfort  of  his  wife ; 


GEX.  II.  21-25.  107 

by  the  latter,  he  becomes  aware  of  his  power  to  protect  her.  Still 
further,  by  the  interview  with  his  Maker  in  the  garden  he  came  to 
understand  language  ;  and  by  the  inspection  of  the  animals  to  employ 
it  himself.  Speech  implies  the  exercise  of  the  susceptive  and  concep- 
tive  powers  of  the  understanding.  Thus  Adam  was  qualified  to  hold 
intelligent  converse  with  a  being  like  himself.  He  was  competent  to 
be  the  instructor  of  his  wife  in  words  and  things.  Again,  he  had  met 
with  his  superior  in  his  Creator,  his  inferioi'S  in  the  animals  ;  and  he 
■was  now  to  meet  his  equal  in  the  woman.  And,  lastly,  by  the  divine 
command  his  moral  sense  had  been  brought  into  play,  the  theory  of 
moral  obligation  had  been  revealed  to  his  naind,  and  he  was  therefore 
prepared  to  deal  with  a  moral  being  like  himself,  to  understand  and 
respect  the  rights  of  another,  to  do  unto  another  as  he  would  have 
another  do  to  him.  It  was  especially  necessary  that  the  sense  of  right 
should  grow  up  in  his  breast,  to  keep  in  due  check  that  might  in  which 
he  excelled,  before  the  weaker  and  gentler  sex  was  called  into  being, 
and  intrusted  to  his  charge.  These  are  some  of  the  obvious  i-easons 
for  delaying  the  formation  of  the  woman  to  the  present  crisis. 

23.  Whether  the  primeval  man  was  conscious  of  the  change  in  him- 
self, and  of  the  work  of  the  Supreme  Being  while  it  was  going  on,  or 
received  supernatural  information  of  the  event  when  he  awoke,  does 
not  appear.  But  he  is  perfectly  aware  of  the  nature  of  her  who  now 
for  the  first  time  appears  before  his  eyes.  This  is  evinced  in  his 
speech  on  beholding  her :  " This,  now"  —  in  contrast  with  the  whole 
animal  creation  just  hefore  presented  to  his  view,  in  which  he  had 
failed  to  find  a  helpmeet  for  him,  —  "  is  bone  of  my  bone,  and  flesh  of 
my  flesh ; "  whence  we  perceive  that  the  rib  included  both  bone  and 
flesh,  "  To  this  "  counterpart  of  myself  "  shall  be  called  woman  ;  " 
the  word  in  the  original  being  a  feminine  form  of  man,  to  which  we 
have  no  exact  equivalent,  though  the  word  woman  (womb-man,  or 
wife-man),  proves  our  word  man  to  have  been  originally  of  the  common 
gender.  "  Because  out  of  a  man  was  she  taken  ;  "  being  taken  out  of 
a  man,  she  is  human  ;  and  being  a  perfect  individual,  she  is  a  female 
man. 

24.  These  might  be  the  words  of  the  first  man.  As  he  thoroughly 
understood  the  relation  between  himself  and  the  woman,  there  is  no 
new  difficulty  in  conceiving  him  to  become  acquainted  at  the  same  time 
with  the  relationship  of  son  to  father  and  mother,  which  was  in  fact 
only  another  form  of  that  in  which  the  newly -formed  woman  stood  to 
himself.     The  latter  is  really  more  intimate  and  permanent  than  the 


108  THE  WORIAN. 

former,  and  natiu'ally  therefore  takes  its  place,  especially  as  the  prac- 
tical of  the  filial  tie,  —  that  of  being  trained  to  maturity,  —  is  already 
accomplished,  when  the  conjugal  one  begins. 

But  it  seems  more  probable  that  this  sentence  is  the  i-efiection  of  the 
inspired  author  on  the  peculiar  mode  in  which  the  female  was  formed 
from  the  male.  Such  remarks  of  the  writer  are  frequently  introduced 
by  the  word  "  therefore  "  ("iS'b?).  It  is  designed  to  inculcate  on  the 
race  that  was  to  spring  from  them  the  inviolable  sanctity  of  the  conju- 
gal relation.  In  the  primeval  wedlock  one  man  was  joined  to  one 
woman  only  for  life.  Hence  in  the  marriage  relation  the  animal  is 
subordinate  to  the  rational.  The  communication  of  ideas  ;  the  cherish- 
ing of  the  true,  the  right,  the  good ;  the  cultivation  of  the  social  affec- 
tions ;  the  spontaneous  outflow  of  mutual  good  offices ;  the  thousand 
nameless  little  thoughts,  looks,  words,  and  deeds  that  cheer  the  brow 
and  warm  the  heart  ;  the  common  care  of  children,  servants,  and 
dependents  ;  the  constant  and  heartfelt  worship  of  the  Father  of  all, 
constitute  the  main  ends  and  joys  of  the  married  state. 

After  the  exclamation  of  the  man  on  contemplating  the  woman,  as 
bone  of  his  bones  and  flesh  of  his  flesh,  and  therefore  physically,  intel- 
lectually, and  morally  qualified  to  be  his  mate,  we  may  suppose  imme- 
diately to  follow  the  blessing  of  man,  and  the  general  endowment  of 
himself  and  the  animals  with  the  fruits  of  the  soil  as  recorded  in  the 
preceding  chapter  (v.  28-30).  The  endowment  of  man  embraces 
every  tree  in  which  is  the  fruit  of  a  tree  yielding  seed.  This  general 
grant  was  of  course  understood  by  man  to  exclude  the  tree  of  the 
knowledge  of  good  and  evil,  which  was  excepted,  if  not  by  its  specific 
nature,  yet  by  the  previous  command  given  to  man.  This  command 
we  find  was  given  before  the  formation  of  the  Avoman,  and  therefore 
sometime  before  the  events  recorded  in  the  second  and  third  clauses  of 
Gen.  i.  27.  Hence  it  preceded  the  blessing  and  tlie  endowment.  It 
was  not  peculiar,  however,  to  the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and 
evil  to  be  intended  for  other  purposes  than  the  food  of  man,  as  there 
are  very  many  other  trees  that  afford  no  proper  nutriment  to  man. 
The  endowment,  therefore,  refers  to  such  trees  as  were  at  the  same 
time  nutritive  and  not  expressly  and  previously  forbidden. 

This  chapter  is  occupied  with  the  "  generations,  issues  or  products 
of  the  skies  and  the  land,"  or,  in  other  words,  of  the  things  created  in 
the  six  days.  It  is  the  meet  preface  to  the  more  specific  history  of  man, 
as  it  records  his  constitution,  his  provision,  liis  moral  and  intellectual 
cultivation,  and  his  social  perfection.     It  brings  us  up  to  the  close  of 


GEX.  II.  21-2- 


109 


the  sixth  day.  As  the  Creator  pronounced  a  sentence  of  approbation 
on  all  that  he  had  made  at  the  end  of  that  day,  we  have  reason  to  be- 
lieve that  no  moral  derangement  had  yet  taken  place  in  man's  nature. 

25.  This  is  corroborated  by  the  statement  contained  in  this  verse. 
"  They  were  both  naked,  and  were  not  ashamed."  Of  nakedness  in 
our  sense  of  the  term  they  had  as  yet  no  conception.  On  the  contrary, 
they  were  conscious  of  being  suiSciently  clothed  in  a  physical  sense  by 
nature's  covering,  the  skin,  —  and,  in  a  spiritual  point  of  view,  they 
were  clad  as  in  a  panoply  of  steel  with  the  consciousness  of  innocence, 
or,  indeed,  the  unconsciousness  of  evil  existing  anywhere,  and  the 
simple  ignorance  of  its  nature,  except  so  far  as  the  command  of  God 
had  awakened  in  them  some  speculative  conception  of  it.  Hence  they 
were  not  ashamed.  For  shame  implies  a  sense  of  guilt,  which  they 
had  not,  and  an  esposedness  to  the  searching  eye  of  a  condemning 
judge,  from  which  they  were  equally  free.  With  the  sentence  termi- 
nates all  we  know  of  primeval  innocence.  May  we  surmise  from  it 
that  the  fir.st  pair  spent  at  least  the  Sabbath,  if  not  some  days,  or  weeks, 
or  years,  in  a  state  of  integrity  ? 

From  what  has  been  said,  it  is  evident  that  this  sentence  was  writ- 
ten after  the  fall ;  for  it  speaks  in  language  which  was  not  intelligible  till 
after  that  event  had  occurred.  Contemplated  in  this  point  of  view,  it 
is  the  most  melancholy  sentence  in  the  book  of  God.  For  it  is  evi- 
dently placed  here  to  foreshadow  the  dark  event  to  be  recorded  in  the 
next  chapter. 

Two  hallowed  institutions  have  descended  to  us  from  the  days  of 
primeval  innocence,  —  the  wedding  and  the  Sabbath.  The  former  in- 
dicates communion  of  the  purest  and  most  perfect  kind  between  equals 
of  the  same  class.  The  latter  implies  communion  of  the  liighest  and 
holiest  kind  between  the  Creator  and  the  intelligent  creature.  The  two 
combined  import  communion  with  each  other  in  communion  with  God. 

Wedded  union  is  the  sum  and  type  of  every  social  tie.  It  gives 
rise  and  scope  to  all  the  nameless  joys  of  home.  It  is  the  native  field 
for  the  cultivation  of  all  the  social  virtues.  It  provides  for  the  due 
framing  and  checking  of  the  overgrowth  of  intei-est  in  self,  and  for  the 
gentle  training  and  fostering  of  a  growing  interest  in  others.  It  unfolds 
the  graces  and  charms  of  mutual  love,  and  imparts  to  the  susceptible 
heart  all  the  peace  and  joy,  all  the  light  and  fire,  all  the  frankness 
and  life  of  conscious  and  constant  purity  and  good-will.  Friendship, 
brotherly-kindness,  and  love  are  still  hopeful  and  sacred  names  among 
mankind. 


110 


THE  WOMAK 


Sabbath-keeping  lifts  tlie  wedded  pair,  the  brethren,  the  friends,  the 
one-minded,  up  to  communion  with  God.  The  joy  of  achievement  is  a 
feehng  common  to  God  and  man.  The  commemoration  of  the  auspi- 
cious beginning  of  a  holy  and  happy  existence  will  live  in  man  while 
memory  lasts.  The  anticipation  also  of  joyful  repose  after  the  end  of 
a  wox'k  well  done  Avill  gild  the  future  while  hope  survives.  Thus  the 
idea  of  the  Sabbath  spans  the  whole  of  man's  existence.  History  and 
prophecy  commingle  in  its  peaceful  meditations,  and  both  are  linked 
v/ith  God.  God  IS  :  he  is  the  Author  of  all  being,  and  the  Rewarder  of 
them  that  diligently  seek  him.  This  is  the  noble  lesson  of  the  Sabbath. 
Each  seventh  day  is  well  spent  in  attending  to  the  realization  of  these 
great  thoughts. 

Hence  it  appears  that  the  social  principle  lies  at  the  root  of  a  spir- 
itual nature.  In  the  very  essence  of  the  spiritual  monad  is  the  faculty 
of  self-consciousness.  Here  is  the  curious  mystery  of  a  soul  standing 
beside  itself,  cognizing  itself,  and  taking  note  of  its  various  faculties  and 
acts,  and  yet  perfectly  conscious  of  its  unity  and  identity.  And  the 
process  does  not  stop  here.  "We  catch  ourselves  at  times  debating  with 
ourselve>,  urging  the  pros  and  cons  of  a  case  in  hand,  enjoying  the 
sallies  or  sorry  for  the  poverty  of  our  wit,  nay,  solemnly  sitting  in  judg- 
ment on  ourselves,  and  pronouncing  a  sentence  of  approval  or  disap- 
proval on  the  merit  or  demerit  of  our  actions.  Thus,  throughout  the 
whole  range  of  our  moral  and  intellectual  nature,  memory  for  the  past 
and  fancy  for  the  future  furnish  us  with  another  self,  with  whom  we 
hold  familiar  converse.  Here  there  is  the  social  principle  living  and 
moving  in  the  very  centre  of  our  being.  Let  the  soul  only  look  out 
through  the  senses  and  descry  another  like  itself,  and  social  converse 
between  kindred  spirits  must  begin.  The  Sabbath  and  the  wedding 
touch  the  inner  springs  of  the  soul,  and  bring  the  social  jirinciple  into 
exercise  in  the  two  great  spheres  of  our  relation  to  our  Maker  and  to 
one  another. 


SECTION   III.  — THE  FALL. 


XV.    THE  FALL.  — Gen.  iii.  1-7. 

1.  irns  serpent ;  r.  hiss,  Ges. ;  sting,  Mey.  d^ii^  subtle,  crafty,  using 
craft  for  defence. 

7.  "iSPi  sew,  stitch,   tach  together.      rrni^n  girdle,   not   necessarily 

III.  1.  Now  the  serpent  was  more  subtle  than  any  beast 
of  the  field  which  the  Lord  God  had  made.  And  he  said  unto 
the  woman,  Then  it  is  so  that  God  hath  said.  Ye  shall  not  eat 
of  every  tree  of  the  garden.  2.  Then  said  the  woman  to  the 
serpent,  Of  the  fruit  of  the  trees  of  the  garden  we  may  eat. 
3.  But  of  the  fruit  of  the  tree  which  is  in  the  midst  of  the 
garden  hath  God  said,  Ye  shall  not  eat  of  it,  neither  touch  it, 
lest  ye  die.  4.  Then  said  the  serpent  unto  the  woman,  Not 
die,  -die  shall  ye.  5.  For  God  doth  know  that  in  the  day  ye 
eat  of  it,  then  will  your  eyes  be  opened ;  and  ye  will  be  like 
God,  knowing  good  and  evil.  G.  And  the  woman  saw  that  the 
tree  was  good  for  food,  and  that  it  was  likely  to  the  eyes,  and 
a  tree  to  be  desired  to  make  wise ;  and  she  took  of  the  fruit 
thereof  and  did  eat,  and  gave  also  unto  her  husband  with  her, 
and  he  did  eat.  7.  Then  were  opened  the  eyes  of  them  both, 
and  they  knew  that  they  were  naked  ;  and  they  sewed  the 
leaves  of  the  fig,  and  made  themselves  girdles. 

This  chapter  continues  the  piece  commenced  at  Gen.  ii.  4.  The 
same  combination  of  divine  names  is  found  here,  except  in  the  dialogue 
between  the  serpent  and  the  woman,  where  God  (c1n■b^i;)  alone  is  used. 
It  is  natural  for  the  tempter  to  use  only  the  more  distant  and  abstract 
name  of  God.     It  narrates  in  simple  terms  the  fall  of  man. 


112  THE  FALL. 

1.  The  serpent  is  here  called  a  beast  of  the  field  ;  that  is,  neither  a 
domesticated  animal  nor  one  of  the  smaller  sorts.  The  Lord  God  liad 
made  it,  and  therefore  it  was  a  creature  called  into  being  on  the  same 
day  with  Adam.  It  is  not  the  wisdom,  but  the  wiliness  of  the  serpent 
which  is  here  noted.  This  animal  is  destitute  of  arms  or  legs  by 
which  to  escape  danger.  It  is  therefore  thrown  back  upon  instinct, 
aided  by  a  quick  and  glaring  eye,  and  a  rapid  dart  and  recoil,  to  evade 
the  stroke  of  violence,  and  watch  and  seize  the  unguarded  moment  for 
inflicting  the  deadly  bite.  Hence  the  wily  and  insidious  character  of 
its  instinct,  which  is  noticed  to  account  for  the  mode  of  attack  here 
chosen,  and  the  style  of  the  conversation.  The  whole  is  so  deeply 
designed,  that  the  origin  and  progress  of  evil  in  the  breast  is  as  nearly 
as  possible  such  as  it  might  have  been  had  there  been  no  prompter. 
No  startling  proposal  of  disobedience  is  made,  no  advice,  no  pei'suasion 
to  partake  of  the  fruit  is  employed.  The  suggestion  or  assertion  of 
the  false  only  is  plainly  oiFered ;  and  the  bewildered  mind  is  left  to 
draw  its  own  false  inferences,  and  pursue  its  own  misguided  course. 
The  tempter  addresses  the  woman  as  the  more  susceptible  and  un- 
guarded of  the  two  creatures  he  would  betray.  He  ventures  upon  a 
half-questioning,  half-insinuating  remark,  —  "It  is  so,  then,  that  God 
hath  said.  Ye  shall  not  eat  of  every  tree  of  the  garden."  This  seems 
to  be  a  feeler  for  some  weak  point,  where  the  fidelity  of  the  woman  to 
her  Maker  might  be  shaken.  It  hints  at  something  strange,  if  not 
unjust  or  unkind,  on  the  part  of  God.  Why  was  any  tree  withheld  ? 
he  Avould  insinuate. 

2,  o.  The  woman  gives  the  natural  and  distinct  answer  of  unaffected 
sincerity  to  this  suggestion.  The  deviations  from  the  strict  letter  of 
the  law  are  nothing  more  than  the  free  and  earnest  expressions  of  her 
feelings.  The  expression,  "  neither  shall  ye  touch  it,"  merely  implies 
that  they  were  not  to  meddle  with  it,  as  a  forbidden  thing. 

4,  5.  The  serpent  now  makes  a  strong  and  bold  assertion,  denying 
the  deadly  efficacy  of  the  tree,  or  the  fatal  consequence  of  partaking  of 
it,  and  affirming  that  God  was  aware  that  on  the  eating  of  it  their  eyes 
would  be  opened,  and  they  would  be  like  himself  in  knov/ing  good 
and  evil. 

Let  us  remember  that  this  was  the  first  falsehood  the  woman  ever 
heard.  Her  mind  was  also  infantile  as  yet,  so  far  as  experience  was 
concerned.  The  opening  mind  is  naturally  inclined  to  believe  the 
truth  of  every  assertion,  until  it  has  learned  by  experience  the  false- 
hood of  some.     There  was  also  in  this  falsehood  that  which  gives  the 


GEN.  in.  1-7.  113 

power  to  deceive,  a  great  deal  of  truth  combined  with  the  element  of 
untruth.  The  tree  was  not  physically  fatal  to  life,  and  the  eating  of 
it  really  issued  m  a  knowledge  of  good  and  evil.  Nevertheless,  the 
partaking  of  that  which  was  forbidden  issued  in  the  legal  and  actual 
privation  of  life.  And  it  did  not  make  them  know  good  and  evil  alto- 
gether, as  God  knows  it,  but  in  an  experimental  sense,  as  the  devil 
knows  it.  In  point  of  knowledge,  they  became  hke  God  ;  in  point  of 
morality,  like  the  tempter. 

G.  And  the  icoman  saw.  She  saw  the  tree,  no  doubt,  and  that  it 
was  likely  to  look  upon,  with  the  eye  of  sense.  But  only  with  the  eye 
of  fancy,  highly  excited  by  the  hints  of  the  tempter,  did  she  see  that  it 
was  good  for  food,  and  to  be  desired  to  make  one  wise.  Appetite, 
taste,  and  philosophy,  or  the  love  of  wisdom,  are  the  great  motives  in 
the  human  breast  which  fancy  assumes  this  tree  will  gratify.  Other 
ti-ees  please  the  taste  and  the  sight.  But  this  one  has  the  preeminent 
charm  of  administering  not  only  to  the  sense,  but  also  to  the  reason. 

It  would  be  rash  to  suppose  that  we  can  analyze  that  lightning 
process  of  instinctive  thought  which  then  took  place  in  the  mind  of  the 
woman ;  and  worse  than  rash,  it  would  be  wrong,  to  imagine  that  we 
can  show  the  rationale  of  that  wdiich  in  its  fundamental  point  was  a 
violation  of  right  reason.  But  it  is  evident  from  this  verse  that  she 
attached  some  credit  to  the  bold  statement  of  the  serpent,  that  the  eat- 
ing of  the  fruit  would  be  attended  v\'ith  the  extraordmary  result  of 
making  them,  like  God  himself,  acquainted  with  good  and  evil,  espe- 
cially as  it  did  not  contradict  any  assertion  of  Jehovah,  God,  and  was 
countenanced  by  the  name,  "  the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and 
evil."  It  was  evidently  a  new  thought  to  her,  that  the  knowledge  of 
good  and  evil  was  to  result  from  the  eating  of  it.  That  God  should 
know  this,  if  a  fact,  was  undeniable.  Again,  to  know  good  and  evil  as 
the  effect  of  partaking  of  it,  implied  that  the  consequence  was  not  a 
cessation  of  existence,  or  of  consciousness  ;  for,  if  so,  how  could  there  be 
any  knowledge  ?  And,  if  death  in  her  conception  implied  merely 
exclusion  from  the  favor  of  God  and  the  tree  of  life,  might  she  not  im- 
agine that  the  new  knowledge  acquired,  and  the  elevation  to  a  new 
resemblance,  or  even  equality  to  God  liimself  in  this  respect,  would  be 
more  than  a  compensation  for  such  losses  ;  especially  as  the  disinter- 
estedness of  the  divine  motives  had  been  at  least  called  in  question  by 
the  serpent  ?  Here,  no  doubt,  is  a  fine  web  of  sophistry,  woven  by  the 
excited  fancy  in  an  instant  of  time. 

It  is  easy  to  say  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil  was  not  a  physical 
15 


114  THE  FALL. 

effect  of  eating  of  the  fruit ;  that  the  obtaining  of  this  knowledge  by 
partaking  of  it  was  an  evil,  and  not  a  good  in  itself  and  in  its  conse- 
quences, as  it  was  the  origin  of  an  evil  conscience,  which  is  in  itself  an 
unspeakable  ill,  and  attended  with  the  forfeiture  of  the  divine  favor, 
and  of  the  tree  of  life,  and  with  the  endurance  of  all  the  positive  mis- 
ery which  such  a  condition  involves  ;  and  that  the  command  of  God 
was  founded  on  the  clearest  I'ight,  —  that  of  creation,  —  occasioned  by 
the  immediate  necessity  of  defining  the  rights  of  man,  and  prompted  by 
disinterested  benevolence  toward  His  intelligent  creatures,  whom  lie 
was  framing  for  such  intellectual  and  moral  perfection,  as  was  by  them 
attainable.  It  is  easy  to  cry  out,  How  unreasonable  was  the  conduct 
of  the  primeval  pair  !  Let  us  not  forget  that  any  sin  is  unreasonable, 
unaccountable,  essentially  mysterious.  In  fact,  if  it  were  wholly  rea- 
sonable, it  would  no  longer  be  sin.  Only  a  moment  before,  the  woman 
had  declared  that  God  had  said,  "  Of  the  fruit  of  the  tree  in  the  midst 
of  the  garden,  ye  shall  not  eat."  Yet  she  now  sees,  and  her  head  is  so 
full  of  it  that  she  can  think  of  nothing  else,  that  the  tree  is  good  for 
food  and  pleasant  to  the  eyes,  —  as  if  there  were  no  other  good  and 
pleasant  trees  in  the  garden,  and,  as  she  fancies,  desirable  to  make  one 
wise,  like  God ;  as  if  there  were  no  other  way  to  this  wisdom  but  an 
unlawful  one,  and  no  other  likeness  to  God  but  a  stolen  likeness,  — 
and  therefore  takes  of  the  fruit  and  eats,  and  gives  to  her  husband,  and 
he  eats !  The  present  desire  is  without  any  necessity  gratified  by  an 
act  known  to  be  wrong,  at  the  risk  of  all  the  consequences  of  disobedi- 
ence !     Such  is  sin. 

7.  Certain  immediate  effects  of  the  act  are  here  stated.  Their  eyes 
were  opened.  This  cannot  mean  literally  that  they  were  blind  up  to 
this  moment ;  for  Adam,  no  doubt,  saw  the  tree  in  the  garden  concern- 
ing which  he  received  a  command,  the  animals  which  he  named,  and  the 
woman  Avhom  he  recognized  as  bone  of  his  bones  and  flesh  of  his  flesh. 
And  of  the  woman  it  is  afhrmed  that  she  saw  that  the  tree  possessed 
certain  qualities,  one  of  which  at  least  was  conspicuous  to  the  eye. 

It  must  therefore  mean  that  a  new  aspect  Avas  presented  by  things 
on  the  commission  of  the  first  offence.  As  soon  as  the  transgression 
is  actually  ovei-,  the  sense  of  the  wrongfulness  of  the  act  I'ushes  on  the 
mind.  The  displeasure  of  the  great  Being  whose  command  has  been 
disobeyed,  the  irretrievable  loss  which  follows  sin,  the  shame  of  being 
looked  upon  by  the  bystanders  as  a  guilty  thmg,  crowd  upon  the 
view.  All  nature,  every  single  creature,  seems  now  a  witness  of  their 
.guilt  and  shame,  a  condemning  judge,  an  agent  of  the  divine  vengeance. 


GEN.  III.  1-7.  115 

Sucli  is  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil  they  have  acquired  by  their 
fall  from  obedience,  —  such  is  the  opening  of  the  eye  which  has  requi- 
ted their  wrong-doing.  What  a  different  scene  had  once  presented 
itself  to  the  eyes  of  innocence  !  All  had  been  friendly.  All  nature 
had  bowed  in  willing  obedience  to  the  lords  of  the  earth.  Neither  the 
sense  nor  the  reality  of  danger  had  ever  disturbed  the  tranquillity  of 
their  pure  minds. 

They  hneio  that  they  luere  naked.  This  second  effect  results  imme- 
diately from  the  consciousness  of  guilt.  They  now  take  notice  that 
their  guilty  persons  are  exposed  to  view,  and  they  shrink  from  the 
glance  of  every  condemning  eye.  They  imagine  there  is  a  witness  of 
their  guilt  in  eveiy  creature,  and  they  conceive  the  abhorrence  which 
it  must  produce  in  the  spectator.  In  their  infantile  experience  they 
endeavor  to  hide  their  persons,  which  they  feel  to  be  suffused  all  over 
with  the  blush  of  shame. 

Accordingly,  they  sewed  the  leaves  of  the  fig^  which,  we  may  suppose, 
they  wrapped  round  them,  and  fastened  with  the  girdles  they  had 
formed  for  this  purpose.  The  leaves  of  the  fig  did  not  constitute  the 
girdles,  but  the  coverings  which  were  fastened  on  with  these.  These 
leaves  were  intended  to  conceal  their  whole  persons  from  observation. 
Job  describes  himself  sewing  sackcloth  on  his  skin  (Job  xvi.  15),  and 
girding  on  sackcloth  (1  Kings  xx.  32  ;  Lam.  ii.  10 ;  Joel  i.  8)  is  a 
familiar  phrase  in  Scripture.  The  primitive  sewing  was  some  sort  of 
tacking  together,  which  is  not  more  particularly  described.  Every 
operation  of  this  sort  has  a  rude  beginning.  The  word  girdle  (.T^iJn) 
signifies  that  which  girds  on  the  dress. 

Here  it  becomes  us  to  pause  for  a  moment  that  we  may  mark  what 
was  the  precise  nature  of  the  first  transgression.  It  was  plainly  diso- 
bedience to  an  express  and  well-understood  command  of  the  Creator. 
It  m^attcrs  not  what  was  the  nature  of  the  command,  since  it  could  not 
be  other  than  right  and  pure.  The  more  simple  and  easy  the  thing 
enjoined,  the  more  blameworthy  the  act  of  disobedience.  But  what 
was  the  command  ?  Simply  to  al)stain  from  the  fruit  of  a  tree,  whicli 
was  designated  the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil,  upon  pain 
of  death.  We  have  seen  already  that  this  command  arose  from  the 
necessity  of  immediate  legislation,  and  took  its  shape  as  the  only  pos- 
sible one  in  the  circumstances  of  the  case.  The  peculiar  attraction, 
however,  which  the  forbidden  tree  presented,  Avas  not  its  excellence 
for  the  appetite  or  pleasantness  to  the  eyes,  since  these  were  common 
to  all  the  trees,  but  its  supposed  power  of  conferring  moral  knowledge 


116  THE  FALL. 

on  those  wlio  partook  of  it,  and,  according  to  the  serpent's  explanation, 
making  them  like  God  in  this  important  respect.  Hence  the  real  and 
obvious  motive  of  the  transgressor  was  the  desire  of  knowledge  and 
likeness  to  God.  "Whatever  other  lusts,  therefore,  may  have  after- 
wards come  out  in  the  nature  of  fallen  man,  it  is  plain  that  the  lust 
after  likeness  to  God  in  moral  discernment  v/as  that  which  originally 
broiTght  forth  sin  in  man.  Sexual  desire  does  not  appear  here  at  all. 
The  appetite  is  excited  by  other  trees  as  well  as  this.  The  desire  of 
knowledge,  and  the  ambition  to  be,  in  some  sense,  divine,  are  alone 
peculiar  and  prevalent  as  motives.  Hence  it  appears  that  God  proved 
or.r  first  parents,  not  through  any  of  the  animal  appetites,  but  through 
the  higher  propensities  of  their  intellectual  and  moral  nature.  Though 
tlie  occasion,  therefore,  may  at  first  sight  appear  trivial,  yet  it  becomes 
awfully  momentous  when  we  discover  that  the  rectitude  of  God  is  im- 
pugned, his  prerogative  invaded,  his  command  disregai'ded,  his  attri- 
bute of  moral  omniscience  and  all  the  imaginable  advantages  attendant 
thereupon  grasped  at  with  an  eager  and  wilful  hand.  To  disobey  the 
command  of  God,  imposed  according  to  the  dictates  of  pure  reason,  and 
with  the  authority  of  a  Creator,  from  the  vain  desire  of  being  like  him, 
or  independent  of  him,  in  knowledge,  can  never  be  anything  but  an 
offence  of  the  deepest  dye. 

"We  are  bound,  moreover,  to  acknowledge  and  maintain,  in  the  most 
explicit  manner,  the  equity  of  the  divine  procedure  in  permitting  the 
temptation  of  man.  The  only  new  thing  here  is  the  intervention  of  the 
tempter.  It  may  be  imagined  that  this  deciever  should  have  been  kept 
away.  But  we  must  not  speak  with  inconsiderate  haste  on  a  matter  of 
such  import.  1st.  We  know  that  God  has  not  used  forcible  means  to 
prevent  the  rise  of  moral  evil  among  his  intelligent  creatures.  "We 
cannot  with  reason  affirm  that  he  should  have  done  so ;  because,  to  put 
force  on  a  voluntary  act,  and  yet  leave  it  voluntary,  seems  to  reason 
a  contradiction  in  terms,  and,  therefore,  impossible  ;  and  unless  an  act 
be  voluntary,  it  cannot  have  any  moral  character ;  and  without  volun- 
tary action,  we  cannot  have  a  moral  agent.  2d.  "We  know  that  God 
does  not  immediately  annihilate  the  evil-doer.  Neither  can  we  aflirm 
with  reason  that  he  ought  to  have  done  so ;  for,  to  lay  an  adequate 
penalty  on  sin,  and  then  put  the  sinner  out  of  existence,  so  that  this 
penalty  can  never  be  exacted,  seems  to  reason  a  moral  inconsistency, 
and,  therefore,  impossible  in  a  being  of  moral  perfection.  3d.  "\Ye 
know  that  God  does  not  withdraw  the  evil-doer  from  all  intercourse 
with  other  moral  agents.     Here,  again,  reason  does  not  constrain  us  to 


GEX.  III.  1-7.  117 

[)ronounce  that  it  is  expedient  so  to  do  ;  for  the  innocent  ought,  and  it  is 
natural  that  they  should,  learn  a  holy  abhorrence  of  sin,  and  a  salutary 
dread  of  its  penalty,  from  these  waifs  of  society,  rather  than  follow 
their  pernicious  example.  The  wrong-doers  are  not  less  under  the 
control  of  God  than  if  they  were  in  the  most  impenetrable  dungeon  ; 
while  they  are  at  the  same  time  constant  beacons  to  warn  others  from 
transgression.  He  leaves  them  to  fill  up  the  measure  of  their  iniquity, 
vrhile  the  intelligent  world  are  cognizant  of  their  guilt,  that  they  may 
acknowledge  the  justice  of  their  punishment,  and  comprehend  the  in- 
finite holiness  of  the  judge  of  all  the  earth.  4th.  T7e  know  that  God 
tries  his  moral  creatures.  Abraham,  Job,  and  all  his  saints  have  to 
undergo  their  trial.  He  suffered  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  second 
Adam,  to  be  tempted.  And  we  must  not  expect  the  first  Adam  to  be 
exempted  from  the  common  ordeal.  We  can  only  be  assured  that  his 
justice  will  not  allow  his  moral  creatures  to  be  at  any  disadvantage  in 
the  triah  Accordingly,  1st,  God  himself  in  the  first  instance  speaks 
to  Adam,  and  gives  him  an  explicit  command  not  arbitrar'y  in  its  con- 
ception, but  arising  out  of  the  necessity  of  the  case.  And  it  is  plain 
that  Eve  was  perfectly  aware  that  he  had  himself  imposed  this  prohi- 
bition. 2d.  The  tempter  is  not  allowed  to  appear  in  his  proper  person 
to  our  first  parents..  The  serpent  only  is  seen  or  heard  by  them,  —  a 
creature  inferior  to  themselves,  and  infinitely  beneath  the  God  who 
made  them,  and  condescended  to  communicate  with  them  with  the 
authority  of  a  father.  Sd.  The  serpent  neither  threatens  nor  directly 
persuades ;  much  less  is  he  permitted  to  use  any  means  of  compulsion  : 
he  simply  falsifies.  As  the  God  of  truth  had  spoken  to  them  before, 
the  false  insinuation  places  them  at  no  disadvantage. 

Man  has  now  come  to  the  second  step  in  morals,  —  the  practice. 
Thereby  he  has  come  to  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil,  not  merely 
as  an  ideal,  but  as  an  actual  thing.  But  he  has  attained  this  end,  not 
by  standing  in,  but  by  falhng  from,  his  integrity.  If  he  had  stood  the 
test  of  this  temptation,  as  he  might  have  done,  he  would  have  come  by 
the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil  equally  well,  but  with  a  far  different 
result.  As  he  bore  the  image  of  God  in  his  higher  nature,  he  would 
have  resembled  him,  not  only  in  knowledge,  thus  honorably  acquired 
by  resisting  temptation,  but  also  in  moral  good,  thus  realized  in  his 
own  act  and  will.  As  it  is,  he  has  gained  some  knowledge  in  an 
unlawful  and  disastrous  way ;  but  he  has  also  taken  in  that  moral  evil, 
V.  hich  is  the  image,  not  of  God,  but  of  the  tempter,  to  whom  he  has 
yielded- 


118 


THE  FALL. 


This  result  is  rendered  still  more  lamentable  when  we  remember 
that  these  transgressors  constituted  the  human  race  in  its  primeval 
source.  In  them,  therefore,  the  race  actually  falls.  In  their  sin  the 
race  is  become  morally  corrupt.  In  their  gxiilt  the  race  is  involved  in 
guilt.     Their  character  and  doom  descend  to  their  latest  posterity. 

We  have  not  yet  noticed  the  circumstance  of  the  serpent's  speaking, 
and  of  course  speaking  rationally.  This  seems  to  have  awakened  no 
attention  in  the  tempted,  and,  so  far  as  we  see,  to  have  exercised  no 
influence  on  their  conduct.  In  their  inexperience,  it  is  probable  that 
they  did  not  yet  know  what  was  wonderful,  and  what  not ;  or,  in 
preciser  terms,  what  was  supernatural,  and  what  natural.  But  even 
if  they  had  known  enough  to  be  surprised  at  the  serpent  speaking,  it 
might  have  told  in  opposite  ways  upon  their  conclusions.  On  ihe  one 
hand,  Adam  had  seen  and  named  the  serpent,  and  found  in  it  merely 
a  dumb  irrational  animal,  altogether  unfit  to  be  his  companion,  and 
therefore  he  might  have  been  amazed  to  hear  him  speak,  and,  shall 
we  say,  led  to  suspect  a  prompter.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  we  have 
no  reason  to  suppose  that  Adam  had  any  knowledge  or  suspicion  of 
any  creature  but  those  which  had  been  already  brought  before  him, 
among  which  was  the  serpent.  He  could,  therefore,  have  no  surmise 
of  any  superior  creature  who  might  make  use  of  the  serpent  for  its  own 
purposes.  "We  question  whether  the  thought  could  have  struck  his 
mind  that  the  serj)ent  had  partaken  of  the  forbidden  fruit,  and  thereby 
attained  to  the  marvellous  elevation  from  brutality  to  reason  and  speech. 
But,  if  it  had,  it  would  have  made  a  deep  impression  on  his  mind  of 
the  wonderful  potency  of  the  tree.  These  considerations  apply  with 
perhaps  still  greater  force  to  Eve,  who  was  first  deceived. 

But  to  us  who  have  a  more  extensive  experience  of  the  course  of 
nature,  the  speaking  of  a  serpent  cannot  be  regarded  otherwise  than  as 
a  preternatural  occurrence.  It  indicates  the  presence  of  a  power 
above  the  nature  of  the  serpent,  possessed,  too,  by  a  being  of  a  malig- 
nant nature,  and  at  enmity  with  God  and  truth ;  a  spiritual  being,  who 
is  able  and  has  been  permitted  to  make  use  of  the  organs  of  the  ser- 
pent in  some  way  for  the  purposes  of  temptation.  But  while  for  a 
wise  and  worthy  end  this  alien  from  God's  home  is  permitted  to  test 
the  moral  character  of  man,  he  is  not  allowed  to  make  any  appearance 
or  show  any  sign  of  his  own  presence  to  man.  The  serpent  alone 
is  visibly  present  ;  the  temptation  is  conducted  only  through  words 
uttered  by  bodily  organs,  and  the  tempted  show  no  suspicion  of  any 
other  tempter.     Thus  in  the  disposal  of  a  just  Providence,  man  is 


GEN.  III.  8-21.  119 

brought  into  immediate  cojitact  only  with  an  inferior  creature,  and 
therefore  has  a  fair  field  in  the  season  of  trial.  And  if  that  creature 
is  possessed  by  a  being  of  superior  intelligence,  this  is  only  displayed 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  exert  no  i 
ive  argument  and  false  assertion. 


XVI.    THE  JUDGMENT.-Gen.  iii.  8-21. 

15.  ti'^':i  bruise,  wowid.  rrjp€,v  (=  repeij/ ?)  iKTpifSecv  (Job  ix.  17), 
KaraTrareiv  (Ps.  cxxxix.  11),  avvrpi^eiv  (Rom.  xvi.  20). 

16.  iii^^iirn  desire,  inclination.   a-o(jTpo<^i],  i-maTpocfii]  (Song  vii.  11). 
20.  n-in  JiJve,  the  living,  life,  life-place,  or  village. 

8.  And  they  heard  the  voice  of  the  Lord  God,  walking  in  the 
garden  in  the  air  of  the  day :  and  the  man  and  his  wife  hid 
themselves  from  the  face  of  the  Lord  God  amidst  the  trees  of 
the  garden.  9.  And  the  Lord  God  called  to  the  man  and 
said  unto  him,  "Where  art  thou  ?  10.  And  he  said,  Thy  voice 
I  heard  in  the  garden  ;  and  I  was  afraid,  because  I  was  naked, 
and  I  hid  myself.  11.  And  he  said.  Who  showed  thee  that 
thou  wast  naked  ?  Hast  thou  eaten  of  the  tree  of  which  I 
commanded  thee  not  to  eat  ?  12.  And  the  man  said.  The 
woman  whom  thou  gavest  to  bo  with  me,  she  gave  me  of  the 
tree  and  I  did  eat.  13.  Then  said  the  Lord  God  to  the  woman, 
What  is  this  thou  hast  done  ?  And  the  woman  said,  The  ser- 
pent beguiled  me,  and  I  did  cat.  14.  Then  said  the  Lord  God 
unto  the  serpent.  Because  thou  hast  done  this,  cursed  art  thou 
above  all  cattle  and  above  every  beast  of  the  field :  iipon  thy 
belly  shalt  thou  go,  and  dust  shalt  thou  eat  all  the  days  of  thy 
life.  15.  And  enmity  will  I  put  between  thee  and  the  woman, 
and  between  thy  seed  and  her  seed ;  he  shall  bruise  thy  head, 
and  thou  shalt  bruise  his  heel.  §  1. 

16.  Unto  the  woman  he  said,  Multiply,  multiply  will  I  thy 
801T0W  and  thy  conception  :  in  sorrow  shalt  thou  bring  forth 


120  THE  JUDGMENT. 

cliilclreii ;  and  unto  tliy  husband  shall  be  thy  desire,  and  he 
shall  rule  over  thee.  §  2. 

17.  And  to  the  man  he  said,  Because  thou  hast  hearkened 
to  the  voice  of  thy  wife,  and  didst  eat  of  the  tree  of  which  I 
commanded  thee,  saying,  Thou  shalt  not  eat  of  it,  cursed  is 
the  ground  for  thy  sake  ;  in  sorrow  shalt  thou  eat  of  it  all  the 
days  of  thy  life.  18.  And  thorns  and  thistles  shall  it  grow  to 
thee  ;  and  thou  shalt  eat  the  herb  of  the  field.  19.  In  the 
sweat  of  thy  face  shalt  thou  eat  bread,  until  thou  return  to 
the  soil,  out  of  which  thou  wast  taken  ;  for  dust  thou  art,  and 
unto  dust  shalt  thou  return. 

20,  And  the  man  called  his  wife's  name  Eve,  because  she 
was  the  mother  of  all  living.  21.  And  the  Lord  God  made  for 
Adam  and  for  his  wife  coats  of  skin,  and  clothed  them.     TT  8. 


This  passage  contains  the  examination  of  the  transgressors,  8-13, 
the  sentence  pronounced  upon  each,  14-19,  and  certain  particulars 
following  thereupon,  20,  21. 

8,  9.  The  voice,  we  conceive,  is  the  thunder  of  the  approach  of  God 
and  his  call  to  Adam.  The  hiding  is  another  token  of  the  childhke 
simplicity  of  the  parents  of  our  race  under  the  shame  and  fear  of  guilt. 
The  question,  Where  art  thou  ?  implies  that  the  Loi'd  was  aware  of  their 
endeavor  to  hide  themselves  from  him. 

10-12.  Adam  confesses  that  he  was  afraid  of  God,  because  he  was 
naked.  There  is  an  instinctive  hiding  of  his  thoughts  from  God  in 
this  very  speech.  The  nakedness  is  mentioned,  but  not  the  disobedience 
from  which  the  sense  of  it  arose.  To  the  direct  interrogatory  of  the 
Almighty,  he  confesses  who  made  him  acquainted  with  his  nakedness 
and  the  fact  of  his  having  eaten  of  the  forbidden  fruit :  "  The  woman 
gave  me  of  the  tree,  and  I  did  eat" 

13.  The  woman  makes  a  similar  confession  and  a  similar  indication 
of  the  source  of  her  temptation.  She  has  row  found  out  that  the  ser- 
pent beguiled  her.  The  result  has  not  corresponded  to  the  benefit  she 
was  led  to  anticipate. 

There  seems  not  to  be  any  disingenuousness  in  either  case.  Sin 
does  not  take  full  possession  of  the  will  all  at  oncq.  It  is  a  slow 
poison.     It  has  a  growth.     It  requires  time  and  frequent  repetition  to 


GEN.  III.  8-21.  121 

sink  from  a  state  of  purity  into  a  habit  of  invetera'te  sin.  Wliile  it  is 
insensibly  gathering  strength  and  subjugating  the  will,  the  original  in- 
tegrity of  the  moral  nature  manifests  a  long  but  fading  vitality.  The 
same  line  of  things  does  not  always  occupy  the  attention.  "When  the 
chain  of  events  linked  with  the  act  of  sin  does  not  force  the  attention 
of  the  mind,  and  constrain  the  will  to  act  a  selfish  part,  another  train 
of  things  comes  before  the  mind,  finds  the  will  unaffected  by  personal 
considerations,  and  therefore  ready  to  take  its  direction  from  the  rea- 
son. Hence  the  consciousness  of  a  fallen  soul  has  its  lucid  intervals, 
in  which  the  conscience  gives  a  verdict  and  guides  the  will.  But 
these  intervals  become  less  frequent  and  less  decisive  as  the  entangle- 
ments of  ever-multiplying  sinful  acts  wind  round  the  soul  and  aggra- 
vate its  bondage  and  its  blindness. 

14,  15.  Here  begins  the  judgment.  Sentence  is  pronounced  upon 
the  serpent  in  the  presence,  no  doubt,  of  the  man  and  woman.  The 
serpent  is  not  examined,  Jirst,  because  it  is  a  dumb  unreasoning  ani- 
mal in  itself,  and  therefore  incapable  of  judicial  examination,  and  it 
was  the  serpent  only  that  was  palpable  to  the  senses  of  our  first  parents 
in  the  temptation ;  and,  secondly,  because  the  true  tempter  was  not  a 
new,  but  an  old  offender. 

This  sentence  has  a  literal  application  to  the  serpent.  The  curse 
(Gen.  ix.  25,  n.)  of  the  serpent  lies  in  a  more  grovelling  nature  than 
that  of  the  other  land  animals.  This  appears  in  its  going  on  its  belly 
and  eating  the  dust.  Other  animals  have  at  least  feet  to  elevate  them 
above  the  dust ;  the  serpent  tribe  has  not  even  feet.  Other  animals 
elevate  the  head  in  their  natural  position  above  the  soil  :  the  serpent 
lays  its  head  naturally  on  the  sod,  and  therefore  may  be  said  to  eat 
the  dust,  as  the  wounded  wai'rior  bites  the  dust  in  death.  The  earth- 
worm is  probably  included  in  the  description  here  given  of  the  serpent 
gi'oup.  It  goes  upon  its  belly,  and  actually  does  eat  the  dust.  Eating 
the  dust,  like  feeding  upon  ashes,  is  an  expression  for  signal  defeat  in 
every  aim.  The  enmity,  the  mode  of  its  display,  and  the  issue  are  also 
singularly  characteristic  of  the  literal  serpent. 

It  is  the  custom  of  Scriptui-e  jurisprudence  to  visit  brute  animals 
with  certain  judicial  consequences  of  injuries  they  have  been  instru- 
mental in  doing  to  man,  especially  if  this  has  arisen  through  the  design 
or  neglect  of  the  owner,  or  other  responsible  agent  (Gen.  ix.  5  ;  Exod. 
xxi.  28-3G),  In  the  present  case  the  injury  done  was  of  a  moral,  not 
a  physical  nature.  Hence  the  penalty  consists  in  a  curse ;  tliat  is,  a 
state  of  greater  degradation  below  man  than  the  other  land  animals. 
IG 


122  THE  JUDGMENT. 

The  serpent  in  tlie  extraordinary  event  here  recorded  exercised  the 
powers  of  human  speech  and  reasoning.  And  it  is  natural  to 
suppose  that  these  exhibitions  of  intelligence  were  accompanied  with 
an  attitude  and  a  gesture  above  its  natural  rank  in  the  scale  of  crea- 
tion. The  effect  of  the  judicial  sentence  would  be  to  remand  it  to  its 
original  grovelling  condition,  and  give  rise  to  that  enmity  which  was 
to  end  in  its  destruction  by  man. 

But  as  an  evil  sphrit  must  have  employed  the  serpent,  as  the  animal 
whose  organs  and  instincts  were  most  adapted  to  its  purpose,  and  has 
accordingly  derived  its  name  from  it  as  presenting  the  animal  type  most 
analogous  to  its  own  spiritual  nature,  so  the  whole  of  this  sentence  has 
its  higher  application  to  the  real  tempter.  Upon  thy  belly  shall  thou 
go.  This  is  expressive  of  the  lowest  stage  of  degradation  to  which  a 
spiritual  creature  can  be  sunk.  Dust  shalt  thou  eat.  This  is  indica- 
tive of  disappointment  in  all  the  aims  of  being.  I  will  put  enmity. 
This  is  still  more  strictly  applicable  to  the  spiritual  enemy  of  mankind. 
It  intimates  a  hereditary  feud  between  their  respective  races,  which  is 
to  terminate,  after  some  temporary  suffering  on  the  part  of  the  woman's 
seed,  in  the  destruction  of  the  serpent's  power  against  man.  The  spirit- 
ual agent  in  the  temptation'  of  man  cannot  have  litex-ally  any  seed. 
But  the  seed  of  the  serpent  is  that  portion  of  the  human  family  that 
continues  to  be  his  moral  offspring,  and  follows  the  first  transgression 
without  repentance  or  refuge  in  the  mercy  of  God.  The  seed  of  the 
woman,  on  the  other  hand,  must  denote  the  remnant  who  arc  born 
from  above,  and  hence  turn  from  darkness  to  light,  and  from  the  power 
of  Satan  unto  God. 

Let  us  now  mark  the  lessons  conveyed  in  the  sentence  of  the  ser- 
pent to  our  first  parents,  who  were  listening  and  looking  on.  1st.  The 
serpent  is  styled  a  mere  brute  animal.  All,  then,  that  seemed  to  indi- 
cate reason  as  inherent  in  its  nature  or  acquired  by  some  strange  event 
in  its  history  is  thus  at  once  contradicted.  2d.  It  is  declared  to  be 
lower  than  any  of  the  other  land  animals ;  as  being  destitute  of  any 
members  corresponding  to  feet  or  hands.  3d.  It  is  not  inteiTOgated  as 
a  rational  and  accountable  being,  but  treated  as  a  mere  dumb  brute. 
4th.  It  is  degraded  from  the  airs  and  attitudes  which  may  have  been 
assumed,  when  it  was  possessed  by  a  serpent-like  evil  spirit,  and  falls 
back  without  a  struggle  to  that  place  of  debasement  in  the  animal 
kingdom  for  which  it  was  designed.  5th.  It  is  fated  to  be  disappointed 
in  its  aims  at  usurpation.     It  shall  bite  the  dust.     Gth.  It  is  doomed  to 


GEN.  III.  8-21.  123 

ultimate  and  utter  discomfiture  in  its  hostile  assaults  on  the  seed  of  the 
woman. 

All  this  must  have  made  a  deep  impression  on  our  first  parents. 
But  two  things  must  have  struck  them  with  peculiar  force.  First,  it  was 
now  evident  how  vain  and  hollow  were  its  pretensions  to  superior  wis- 
dom, and  how  miserably  deluded  they  had  been  when  they  listened  to 
its  false  insinuations.  If,  indeed,  they  had  possessed  maturity  of  reflec- 
tion, and  taken  time  to  apply  it,  they  would  have  been  strangely  bewil- 
dered with  the  whole  scene,  now  that  it  was  past.  How  the  serpent, 
from  the  brute  instinct  it  displayed  to  Adam  when  he  named  the  ani- 
mals, suddenly  rose  to  the  temporary  exercise  of  reason  and  speech, 
and  as  suddenly  relapsed  into  its  former  bestiality,  is,  to  the  mere 
observer  of  nature,  an  inexplicable  phenomenon.  But  to  Adam,  who 
had  as  yet  too  limited  an  experience  to  distinguish  between  natural 
and  preternatural  events,  and  too  little  development  of  the  reflective 
power  to  detect  the  inconsistency  in  the  appearance  of  things,  the  sole 
object  of  attention  was  the  shameless  presumption  of  the  sei-pent,  and 
the  overwhelming  retribution  which  had  fallen  upon  it ;  and,  conse- 
quently, the  deplorable  folly  and  wickedness  of  having  been  misguided 
by  its  suggestions. 

A  second  thing,  however,  was  still  more  striking  to  the  mind  of  man 
in  the  sentence  of  the  serpent ;  namely,  the  enmity  that  was  to  be  put 
between  the  serpent  and  the  woman.  Up  to  a  certain  point  there  had 
been  concord  and  alliance  between  these  two  parties.  But,  on  the  very 
opening  of  the  heavenly  court,  we  learn  that  the  friendly  connection 
had  been  broken.  For  the  woman  said,  "  The  serpent  beguiled  me, 
and  I  did  eat."  This  expression  indicates  that  the  woman  was  no 
longer  at  one  with  the  serpent.  She  was  now  sensible  that  its  part 
had  been  that,  not  of  friendship,  but  of  guile,  and  therefore  of  the 
deepest  and  darkest  hostility.  When  God,  therefore,  said,  '•  I  will  put 
enmity  between  thee  and  the  woman,"  this  revulsion  of  feeling  on  her 
part,  in  which  Adam  no  doubt  joined,  was  acknowledged  and  aj^proved. 
Enmity  with  the  enemy  of  God  indicated  a  return  to  friendship  with 
God,  and  presupposed  incipient  feelings  of  repentance  towards  him, 
and  reviving  confidence  in  his  word.  The  perpetuation  of  this  enmity 
is  here  afi5rmed,  in  regard  not  only  to  the  woman,  but  to  her  seed. 
This  prospect  of  seed,  and  of  a  godly  seed,  at  enmity  with  evil,  became 
a  fountain  of  hope  to  our  first  parents,  and  confirmed  every  feeling  of 
returning  reverence  for  God  which  was  beginning  to  spring  up  in  their 
breast.     The  word  heard  from  the  mouth  of  God  begat  faith  in  their 


124  THE  JUDGMENT. 

hearts,  and  we  shall  find  that  this  faith  was  not  slow  to  manifest  itself 
in  acts. 

We  cannot  pass  over  this  part  of  the  sentence  without  noticing  the 
expression,  "  the  seed  of  the  woman."  Does  it  not  mean,  in  the  first 
instance,  the  whole  human  race  ?  Was  not  this  race  at  enmity  with 
the  serpent  ?  And  though  that  part  only  of  the  seed  of  the  woman 
which  eventually  shared  in  her  present  feelings  could  he  said  to  be  at 
enmity  with  the  serpent  spirit,  yet,  if  all  had  gone  well  in  Adam's  fam- 
ily, might  not  the  whole  race  have  been  at  enmity  with  the  spirit  of 
disobedience  ?  Was  not  the  avenue  to  mercy  here  hinted  at  as  wide 
as  the  offer  of  any  other  time  ?  And  was  not  this  universality  of  invi- 
tation at  some  time  to  have  a  response  in  the  human  family  ?  Does 
not  the  language  of  the  passage  constrain  us  to  look  forward  to  the 
time  when  the  great  mass,  or  the  whole  of  the  human  race  then  alive 
on  the  earth,  will  have  actually  turned  from  the  power  of  Satan  unto 
God  ?  This  could  not  be  seen  by  Adam.  But  was  it  not  the  plain 
import  of  the  language,  that,  unless  there  was  some  new  revolt  after 
the  present  reconciliation,  the  whole  race  would,  even  from  this  new 
beginning,  be  at  enmity  with  the  spirit  of  evil  ?  Such  was  the  dread 
lesson  of  experience  with  which  Adam  now  entered  upon  the  career  of 
life,  that  it  was  to  be  expected  he  would  warn  his  children  against  de- 
parting from  the  living  God,  with  a  clearness  and  earnestness  which 
would  be  both  understood  and  felt. 

But,  still  further,  do  we  not  pass  from  the  general  to  the  particular 
in  the  sentence,  "  Pie  shall  bruise  thy  head,  and  thou  shalt  bruise  his 
heel  ?  "  Is  not  the  seed  of  the  woman  here  individualized  and  matched 
in  deadly  conflict  with  the  individual  tempter  ?  Does  not  this  phrase- 
ology point  to  some  preeminent  descendant  of  the  Avoman,  who  is,  with 
the  bruising  of  his  lower  nature  in  the  encounter,  to  gain  a  signal  and 
final  victory  over  the  adversary  of  man  ?  There  is  some  reason  to 
believe  from  the  expression,  "  I  have  gotten  a  man  from  the  Lord " 
(Gen.  iv.  1),  that  Eve  herself  had  caught  a  glimpse  of  this  meaning, 
though  she  applied  it  to  the  wrong  party.  The  Vulgate  also,  in  what 
was  probably  the  genuine  reading,  ipse  (he  himself)  points  to  the 
same  meaning.  The  reading  ipsa  (she  herself)  is  inconsistent  with 
the  gender  of  the  Hebrew  verb,  and  with  that  of  the  corresponding 
pronoun  in  the  second  clause  (his),  and  is  therefore  clearly  an  error 
of  the  transcriber. 

Lastly,  the  retributive  character  of  the  divine  administration  is 
I'cmarkably  illustrated  in  the  phrase.     The  serpent,  in  a  wily  but  das- 


GEK  III.  8-21.  125 

fardly  spirit,  makes  the  weaker  sex  the  object  of  his  attack.  It  is  the 
seed  of  the  woman  especially  that  is  to  bruise  his  head.  It  is  singular 
to  find  that  this  simple  phrase,  coming  in  naturally  and  incidentally  in 
a  sentence  uttered  four  thousand  years,  and  penned  at  least  fifteen 
hundred  years,  before  the  Chi-istian  era,  describes  exactly  and  literally 
Hira  who  was  made  of  woman  without  the  intervention  of  man,  that  he 
might  destroy  the  works  of  the  devil.  This  clause  in  the  sentence  of 
the  tempter  is  the  first  dawn  of  hope  for  the  human  family  after  the 
fall.  We  cannot  tell  whether  to  admire  more  the  simplicity  of  its 
terms,  the  breadth  and  comprehensiveness  of  ifes  meaning,  or  the 
minuteness  of  its  application  to  the  far-distant  event  which  it  mainly 
contemplates. 

The  doom  here  pronounced  upon  the  tempter  must  be  regarded  as 
special  and  secondary.  It  refers  to  the  malignant  attack  upon  man, 
and  foretells  what  will  be  the  issue  of  this  attempt  to  spread  disaffection 
among  the  intelligent  creation.  And  it  is  pronounced  without  any 
examination  of  the  offender,  or  investigation  of  his  motives.  If  this 
had  been  the  first  ofience  against  the  majesty  of  heaven,  we  humbly 
conceive  a  solemn  precognition  of  the  case  would  have  taken  place, 
and  a  penalty  would  have  been  adjudicated  adequate  to  the  magnitude 
of  the  crime  and  analagous  to  the  punishment  of  death  in  the  case  of 
man.  The  primary  act  of  defiance  and  apostasy  from  the  Creator 
must  have  been  perpetrated  without  a  tempter,  and  was,  therefore, 
incompai-ably  more  heinous  than  the  secondary  act  of  yielding  to  temp- 
tation. "Whether  the  presence  of  the  tempter  on  earth  intimates  that 
it  was  the  place  of  his  abode  in  a  state  of  innocence,  or  that  he  visited 
it  because  he  had  heard  of  the  creation  of  man,  or  that  he  was  there 
from  some  altogether  different  reason,  is  a  vain  and  unprofitable  in- 
quiry. 

16.  The  sentence  of  the  woman  consists  of  three  parts  :  the  former 
two  regard  her  as  a  mother,  the  last  as  a  wife.  Sorrow  is  to  be  mul- 
tiplied in  her  pregnancy,  and  is  also  to  accompany  the  bearing  of  chil- 
dren. This  sorrow  seems  to  extend  to  all  the  mother's  pains  and 
anxieties  concerning  her  offspring.  With  what  solicitude  she  would 
long  for  a  manifestation  of  right  feehng  toward  the  merciful  God  in 
her  children,  similar  to  that  which  she  had  experienced  in  her  own 
breast !  What  unutterable  bitterness  of  spirit  would  she  feel  when 
the  fruits  of  disobedience  would  discover  themselves  in  her  little  ones, 
and  in  some  of  them,  perhaps,  gather  strength  from  year  to  year ! 

The  promise  of  children  is  implicitly  given  in  these  two  clauses.     It 


126  THE  JUDGMENT. 

came  out  also  incidentally  in  the  sentence  of  the  serpent.  What  a 
v/onderful  conception  is  here  presented  to  the  minds  of  the  primeval 
pair  !  Even  to  ourselves  at  this  day  the  subject  of  race  is  involved  in 
a  great  deal  of  mystery.  "We  have  already  noticed  the  unity  of  the 
race  in  its  head.  But  the  personality  and  responsibility  of  individuals 
involve,  great  and  perplexing  difficulties.  The  descent  of  a  soul  from 
a  soul  is  a  secret  too  deep  for  our  comprehension.  The  first  man  was 
potentially  the  race,  and,  so  long  as  he  stands  alone,  actually  the  Avhole 
race  for  the  time.  His  acts,  then,  are  those  not  merely  of  the  indi- 
vidual, but  of  the  race.  If  a  single  angel  fall,  he  falls  alone.  If  the 
last  of  a  race  were  to  fall,  he  would  in  like  manner  involve  no  other  in 
his  descent.  But  if  the  first  of  a  race  fall,  before  he  has  any  offspring, 
the  race  is  fallen.  The  guilt,  the  depravity,  the  penalty,  all  belong  to 
the  race.  This  is  a  gi'eat  mystery.  But  it  seems  to  follow  inevitably 
from  the  constitution  of  a  race,  and  it  has  clear  evidences  of  its  truth 
both  in  the  facts  and  the  doctrines  of  the  Bible. 

When  we  come  to  view  the  sin  of  our  first  parents  in  this  light,  it  is 
seen  to  entail  tremendous  consequences  to  every  individual  of  the  race. 
The  single  transgression  has  involved  the  guilt,  the  depravity,  and  the 
death,  not  only  of  Adam,  but  of  that  whole  race  which  was  in  him, 
and  thus  has  changed  the  whole  character  and  condition  of  mankind 
throughout  all  time. 

In  the  instructions  going  before  and  coming  after  are  found  the 
means  of  training  up  these  children  for  God.  The  woman  has  learned 
that  God  is  not  only  a  righteous  judge,  but  a  forbearing  and  merciful 
Father.  This  was  enough  for  her  at  present.  It  enabled  her  to  enter 
upon  the  journey  of  life  with  some  gleams  of  hope  amidst  the  sorrows 
of  the  family.  And  in  the  experience  of  life  it  is  amazing  what  a 
large  proportion  of  the  agreeable  is  mingled  Avith  the  troubles  of  our 
fallen  race.  The  forbearance  and  goodness  of  God  ought  in  all  reason 
and  conscience  to  lead  us  back  to  a  better  feeling  towards  him. 

The  third  part  of  her  sentence  refers  to  her  husband,  —  Thy  desire 
shall  he  to  thy  husband,  and  he  shall  rule  over  thee.  This  is  evidently 
a  piece  of  that  retributive  justice  which  meets  us  constantly  in  the 
administration  of  God.  The  woman  had  taken  the  lead  in  the  trans- 
gression. In  the  fallen  state,  she  is  to  be  subject  to  the  will  of  her 
husband.  "  Desire "  does  not  refer  to  sexual  desire  in  particular. 
(Gen.  iv.  7).  It  means,  in  general,  turn,  determination  of  the  will. 
"  The  determination  of  thy  will  shall  be  yielded  to  thy  husband,  and 
accordingly  he  shall  rule  over  thee."     The  second  clause,  according  to 


GEN.  III.  8-21.  127 

the  parallel  structure  of  the  sentence,  is  a  climax  or  emphatic  reitera- 
tion of  the  first,  and  therefore  serves  to  determine  its  meaning.  Under 
fallen  man,  woman  has  been  more  or  less  a  slave.  In  fact,  under  the 
rule  of  selfishness,  the  weaker  must  serve  the  stronger.  A  spiritual 
resurrection  only  will  restore  her  to  her  true  place,  as  the  helpmeet  for 
man. 

17-19.  The  key-word  in  the  sentence  of  the  man  is  the  soil.  The 
curse  (Gen.  ix.  25,  n.)  of  the  soil  is  the  want  of  the  fruit  trees  Avith 
which  the  garden  was  planted,  and  of  that  spontaneous  growth  which 
would  have  rendered  the  toil  of  man  unnecessary.  The  rank  growth 
of  thorns  and  thistles  was  also  a  part  of  the  curse  which  it  occasioned 
to  man  when  fallen.  His  sorrow  was  to  arise  from  the  labor  and 
sweat  wdth  which  he  was  to  draw  from  the  ground  the  means  of  sub- 
sistence. Instead  of  the  spontaneous  fruits  of  the  garden,  the  herb  of 
the  field,  which  required  diligent  cultivation,  was  henceforth  to  consti- 
tute a  principal  part  of  his  support.  And  he  had  the  dreary  prospect 
before  him  of  returning  at  length  to  the  ground  whence  he  was  taken. 
He  had  an  element  of  dust  in  liim,  and  this  organic  frame  was  eventu- 
ally to  work  out  its  own  decay,  when  apart  from  the  tree  of  life. 

It  is  to  be  observed  that  here  is  the  first  allusion  to  that  death  which 
■was  the  essential  part  of  the  sentence  pronounced  on  the  fallen  race. 
The  reasons  of  this  arc  obvious.  The  sentence  of  death  on  those  who 
should  eat  of  the  forbidden  fruit  had  been  already  pronounced,  and  was 
well  known  to  our  fii-st  parents.  Death  consisted  in  the  privation  of 
that  life  which  lay  in  the  light  of  the  divine  countenance,  shining  with 
approving  love  on  an  innocent  child,  and  therefore  was  begun  on  the 
first  act  of  disobedience,  in  the  shame  and  fear  of  a  guilty  conscience. 
The  few  traits  of  earthly  discomfort  which  the  sentences  disclose,  are 
merely  the  workings  of  the  death  here  spoken  of  in  the  present  stage 
of  our  existence.  And  the  execution  of  the  sentence,  which  comes  to 
view  in  the  following  passage,  is  the  formal  accomphshment  of  the 
warning  given  to  the  transgressor  of  the  divine  will. 

In  this  narrative  the  language  is  so  simple  as  to  present  no  critical 
difficulty.  And,  on  reviewing  the  passage,  the  first  thing  we  have  to 
observe  is,  that  the  event  hei-e  recorded  is  a  turning-point  of  tran- 
scendent import  in  the  history  of  man.  It  is  no  less  than  turning  from 
confidence  in  God  to  confidence  in  his  creature  when  contradicting 
him,  and,  moreover,  from  obedience  to  his  express  and  well-remembered 
command  to  obedience  to  the  dictates  of  misguided  self-interest.  It  is 
obvious  that,  to  the  moral  character  of  the  transaction,  it  is  of  no  conse- 


128 


THE  JUDGMENT. 


queuce  who  the  third  party  was  who  dared  to  contradict  and  malign 
his  Maker.  The  guilt  of  man  consists  simply  in  disobeying  the  sole 
command  of  his  beneficent  Creator.  The  only  mitigating  circumstance 
is  the  suggestion  of  evil  by  an  external  party.  But  the  more  insig- 
nificant the  only  ostensible  source  of  temptation,  the  more  inexcusable 
the  guilt  of  man  in  giving  way  to  it. 

This  act  altered  fundamentally  the  position  and  character  of  man. 
He  thereby  descended  from  innocence  to  guilt  in  point  of  law,  and  at 
the  same  time  from  holiness  to  sin  in  point  of  character.  Tremendous 
was  the  change,  and  equally  tremendous  the  consequence.  Death  is, 
like  most  scriptural  terms,  a  pregnant  word,  and  here  to  be  understood 
in  the  full  compass  of  its  meaning.  It  is  the  privation,  not  of  existence, 
as  is  often  confusedly  supposed,  but  of  life,  in  all  its  plenitude  of  mean- 
ing. As  life  includes  all  the  gratifications  of  which  our  human  sus- 
ceptibilities are  capable,  so  death  is  the  privation  of  all  the  sources  of 
human  enjoyment,  and  among  them  of  the  physical  life  itself,  while 
the  craving  for  ease  and  the  sense  of  pain  retain  all  their  force  in  the 
spiritual  part  of  our  nature.  These  poignant  emotions  reach  their 
highest  pitch  of  intensity  when  they  touch  the  conscience,  the  ten- 
derest  part  of  our  being,  and  forebode  the  meeting  of  the  soul,  in  its 
guilty  state,  with  a  just  and  holy  God. 

This  event  is  real.  The  narrative  expresses  in  its  strongest  terms 
its  reality.  The  event  is  one  of  the  two  alternatives  which  must  fol- 
low from  the  preceding  statements  concerning  the  tree  of  the  knowledge 
of  good  and  evil,  and  affords  an  explanation  of  their  nature.  It  is 
no  less  essential  to  account  for  that  which  follows.  The  problem  of 
the  history  and  condition  of  man  can  only  be  solved  by  this  primeval 
fact.  Conscience  still  remains  an  imperishable  monument,  on  the  one 
hand,  of  his  having  been  formed  after  a  perfect  model ;  and,  on  the 
other,  of  his  having  fallen  from  his  high  estate.  And  all  the  facts  of 
his  history  carry  up  his  fall  as  far  as  the  traditions  of  human  memory 
reach. 

And  the  narrative  here  is  a  literal  record  of  the  details  of  this  great 
event.  So  far  as  regards  God  and  man,  the  literality  has  never  been 
questioned  by  those  who  acknowledge  the  event  to  be  real.  Some, 
however,  have  taken  the  serpent  to  be,  not  a  literal,  but  a  figurative 
serpent ;  not  an  animal,  but  a  spiritual  being.  The  great  dragon,  in- 
deed, is  identified  with  "  the  ancient  serpent  called  the  devil  and  Satan." 
And  hence  we  know  that  a  being  of  a  higher  nature  than  the  mere 
animal  was  present  and  active  on  this  occasion.     And  this  spiritual 


GEN.  III.  8-21.  129 

being  was  with  great  propriety  called  the  serjient,  both  from  its  ser- 
pentine qualities  and  from  choosing  the  serpent  as  the  most  suitable 
mask  under  which  to  tempt  our  first  parents.  But  we  cannot  thence  infer 
that  a  literal  serpent  was  not  employed  in  the  temptation.  The  serpent 
is  said  to  be  "  more  subtle  than  any  beast  of  the  field."  1st.  The 
obvious  meaning  of  this  is,  that  it  was  itself  a  beast  of  the  field.  Thus 
Joseph,  whom  Israel  loved  more  than  all  his  children,  was  one  of  his 
children  (Gen.  xxxvii.  8).  He  that  was  higher  than  any  of  the  "people, 
was  himself  one  of  the  people  (2  Sam.  ix.  2).  2d.  If  the  serpent  be 
here  figurative,  and  denote  a  spirit,  the  statement  that  it  was  subtle 
above  all  the  beasts  of  the  field  is  feeble  and  inadequate  to  the  occa- 
sion. It  is  not  so,  that  man  is  distinguished  from  the  other  animals. 
In  much  more  forcible  language  ought  the  old  serpent  to  be  distin- 
guished from  the  unreasoning  brute,  od.  "We  have  seen  a  meetness 
in  a  being  of  flesh,  and  that  not  superior,  or  even  equal  to  man,  being 
permitted  to  be  employed  as  the  medium  of  temptation.  Man  was 
thereby  put  at  no  disadvantage.  His  senses  were  not  confounded  by  a 
supersensible  manifestation.  His  presence  of  mind  was  not  disturbed 
by  an  unusual  appearance.  4th.  The  actions  ascribed  to  the  tempter 
agree  with  the  literal  serpent.  Wounding  the  heel,  creeping  on  the 
belly,  and  biting  the  dust,  are  suitable  to  a  mere  animal,  and  especially 
to  the  serpent.  The  only  exception  is  the  speaking,  and,  what  is  im- 
plied in  this,  the  reasoning.  These,  however,  do  not  disprove  the 
presence  of  the  literal  serpent  when  accompanied  with  a  plain  statement 
of  its  presence.  They  only  indicate,  and  that  to  more  experienced 
observers  than  our  first  parents,  the  presence  of  a  kirking  spirit, 
expressing  its  thoughts  by  the  organs  of  the  serpent. 

It  may  be  thought  strange  that  the  presence  of  this  higher  being  is 
not  explicitly  noticed  by  the  sacred  writer.  But  it  is  the  manner  of 
Scripture  not  to  distinguish  and  explain  all  the  realities  which  it  relates, 
but  to  describe  the  obvious  phenomena  as  they  present  themselves  to 
the  senses  ;  especially  when  the  scope  of  the  narrative  does  not  require 
more,  and  a  future  revelation  or  the  exercise  of  a  sanctified  experience 
will  in  due  time  bring  out  their  interpretation.  Thus  the  doings  of 
the  magicians  in  Egypt  ai'e  not  distinguished  from  those  of  Moses  by 
any  disparaging  epithet  (Ex.  vii.  10-12).  Only  those  of  Moses  are 
greater,  and  indicate  thereby  a  higher  power.  The  witch  of  Endor 
is  consulted,  and  Samuel  appears ;  but  the  narrative  is  not  careful  to 
distinguish  then  and  there  whether  by  the  means  of  witchcraft  or  by 
the  very  power  of  God.  It  was  not  necessary  for  the  moral  training 
17 


130  TPIE  JUDGMENT. 

of  our  first  parents  at  that  early  stage  of  their  existence  to  know  who 
the  real  tempter  was.  It  would  not  have  altered  the  essential  nature 
of  the  temptation,  of  the  sentence  pronounced  on  any  of  the  parties,  or 
of  the  hopes  held  out  to  those  who  were  beguiled. 

This  brings  into  view  a  system  of  analogy  and  mutual  relation  per- 
vading the  whole  of  Scripture  as  well  as  nature,  according  to  Avhich  the 
lower  order  of  things  is  a  natural  type  of  the  higher,  and  the  nearer  of 
the  more  remote.  This  law  displays  itself  in  the  history  of  creation, 
which,  in  the  creative  work  of  the  six  days,  figures  to  our  minds,  and, 
as  it  were,  lays  out  in  the  distance  those  other  antecedent  pi'ocesses  of 
creative  power  that  have  intervened  since  the  first  and  absolute  crea- 
tion ;  in  the  nature  of  man,  which  presents  on  the  surface  the  animal 
operations  in  wonderful  harmony  with  the  spiritual  functions  of  his 
complex  being;-  in  the  history  of  man,  where  the  nearer  in  history,  in 
prophecy,  in  space,  in  time,  in  quality,  matter,  life,  vegetative  and  ani- 
mate, shadow  forth  the  more  remote.  All  these  examples  of  the 
scriptural  method  of  standing  on  and  starting  from  the  near  to  the  far 
are  founded  upon  the  simple  fact  that  nature  is  a  rational  system  of 
things,  every  part  of  which  has  its  counterpart  in  every  other.  Hence 
■the  history  of  one  thing  is,  in  a  certain  form,  the  history  of  all  things 
of  the  same  kind. 

The  serpent  is  of  a  crafty  instinct,  and  finds,  accordingly,  its  legiti- 
mate place  at  the  lowest  step  of  the  animal  system.  Satan  seeks  the 
opportunity  of  tempting  Adam,  and,  in  the  fitness  of  things,  turns  to 
the  serpent  as  the  ready  medium  of  his  assault  upon  human  integrity. 
He  was  limited  to  such  a  medium.  He  was  not  permitted  to  have  any 
intercourse  with  man,  except  through  the  senses  and  in  the  way  of 
speech.  He  was  also  necessitated  to  have  recourse  to  the  serpent,  as 
the  only  creature  suited  to  his  purpose. 

The  place  of  the  serpent  in  the  scale  of  animals  was  in  keeping  with 
the  crookedness  of  its  instinct.  It  was  cursed  above  all  cattle,  as  it 
was  inferior  to  them  in  the  want  of  those  limbs  which  serve  for  rising, 
moving,  and  liolding  ;  such  as  legs  and  ai*ms.  This  meaning  of  cursed 
is  familiar  to  Scripture.  "  Cursed  is  the  ground  for  thy  seed  "  ( Gen. 
iii.  17).  It  needed  the  toil  of  man  to  repress  thorns  and  thistles,  and 
cultivate  plants  more  useful  and  needful  to  man.  "  This  people  who 
knoweth  not  the  law  are  cursed"  (John  vii.  49).  This  is  a  relative 
use  of  the  word,  by  which  a  thing  is  said  to  be  cursed  in  respect  of  its 
failing  to  serve  a  particular  end.  Hence  the  serpent's  condition  was  a 
fit  emblem  of  the  spiritual  serpent's  punishment  for  its  evil  doings 
regardinjr  man. 


GEN.  III.  8-21.  1^1 

Through  the  inscrutable  wisdom  of  the  divine  providence,  however, 
it  was  not  necessary,  or  may  not  have  been  necessary,  to  change  in 
the  main  the  state  of  the  natural  serpent  or  the  natural  earth  in  order 
to  carry  out  the  ends  of  justice.  The  former  sj-mbolized  in  a  very 
striking  manner  the  helplessness  and  disappointment  of  the  enemy 
of  man.  The  latter  exacted  that  labor  of  man  which  was  the  just 
consequence  of  his  disobedience.  This  consequence  would  have  been 
avoided  if  he  had  continued  to  be  entitled  to  the  tree  of  life,  which 
could  no  doubt  have  been  propagated  beyond  its  original  bounds.  But 
a  change  in  the  moral  relation  of  the  heart  towards  God  brings  along 
with  it  in  the  unsearchable  ways  of  divine  wisdom  a  change  as  great  in 
the  bearing  of  the  events  of  time  on  the  destiny  of  man.  While  the 
heart  is  with  God,  all  things  work  together  for  good  to  us.  When  the 
heart  is  estranged  from  him,  all  things  as  inevitably  work  together  for 
evil,  without  any  material  alteration  in  the  system  of  nature. 

We  may  even  ascend  a  step  higher  into  the  mysteries  of  providence  ; 
for  a  disobedient  heart,  that  forms  the  undeserving  object  of  the 
divine  compassion,  may  be  for  a  time  the  unconscious  slave  of  a  train 
of  circumstances,  which  is  working  out  its  recovery  from  the  curse  as 
well  as  the  power  of  sin  through  the  teaching  of  the  Divine  Spirit. 
The  series  of  events  may  be  the  same  in  which  another  is  floating 
down  the  stream  of  perdition.  But  to  the  former  these  events  are  the 
turning-points  of  a  wondrous  moral  training,  which  is  to  end  in  recon- 
ciliation to  God  and  restoration  to  his  likeness. 

A  race,  in  like  manner,  that  has  fallen  from  communion  with  God, 
may  be  the  subject  of  a  purpose  of  mercy,  which  works  out,  in  the 
providence  of  God,  the  return  of  some  to  his  home  and  love,  and  the 
wandering  of  others  away  further  and  further  into  the  darkness  and 
misery  of  enmity  with  God. 

And  though  this  system  of  things  is  simple  and  uniform  in  the  eyes 
of  the  only  wise  God,  yet  to  human  view  parts  of  it  appear  only  as 
special  arrangements  and  retributions,  exactly  meeting  the  case  of  man 
and  serving  for  his  moral  education.  No  doubt  they  are  so.  But 
they  are  also  parts  of  a  constant  course  of  nature,  pursued  with  unde- 
viating  regularity,  yet  ordered  with  such  infallible  wisdom  as  to  ac- 
complish at  the  same  time  both  general  and  special  ends.  Hence,  with- 
out- any  essential  change  in  the  serpent's  natural  instincts,  it  serves  for 
a  striking  monument  of  the  defeat  and  destruction  of  the  devil  and  his 
works.  The  ground,  without  any  change  in  its  inherent  nature,  but 
merely  by  the  removal,  it  may  be,  of  the  tree  of  life,  is  cursed  to  man, 
as  it  demands  that  toil  which  is  the  mark  of  a  fallen  race. 


132  THE  JUDGMENT. 

The  question  of  miracles,  or  special  interpositions  of  the  divine  will 
and  power  which  cross  the  laws  of  nature,  is  not  now  before  us.  By 
the  very  definition  of  miracles  they  transcend  the  laws  of  nature ;  that 
is,  of  that  system  of  events  which  is  known  to  us  by  observation.  But 
it  does  not  foUoAv  that  they  transcend  a  higher  law  of  the  divine  plan, 
which  may,  partly  by  revelation  and  partly  even  by  a  deeper  study  of 
ourselves  and  things  around  us,  be  brought  to  light.  By  the  investiga- 
tions of  geology  we  seem  compelled  to  acknowledge  a  succession  of 
creations  at  great  intervals  of  time,  as  a  law  of  the  divine  procedure 
on  our  globe.  But,  thousands  of  years  before  geology  was  conceived, 
one  such  creation,  subsequent  to  the  great  primal  act  by  which  the 
universe  was  called  into  existence,  was  made  known  to  us  by  divine 
revelation.  And  beside  periodical  miracle,  we  find  recorded  in  the 
book  of  revelation  a  series  of  miracles,  which  were  performed  in  pur- 
suance of  the  divine  purpose  of  gi-ace  toward  the  fallen  race  of  man. 
These  are  certainly  above  nature,  according  to  the  largest  view  of  it 
which  has  ever  been  current  among  our  philosophers.  But  let  us  not 
therefore  imagine  that  they  are  above  reason  or  grace,  —  above  the 
resources  and  determinations  of  the  divine  mind  and  wiU  concerning 
the  development  of  the  universe. 

20,  21,  These  verses  record  two  very  significant  acts  consequent 
upon  the  judgment :  one  on  the  part  of  Adam,  and  another  on  the 
part  of  God. 

20.  The  man  here  no  doubt  refers  to  two  expressions  in  the  senten- 
ces he  had  heard  pronounced  on  the  serpent  and  the  woman.  "  He," 
the  seed  of  the  woman,  "  shall  bruise  thy  head."  Here  it  is  the  woman 
who  is  to  bear  the  seed.  And  this  seed  is  to  bruise  the  serpent's  head ; 
that  is,  in  some  way  to  undo  what  had  been  done  for  the  death  of  man, 
and  so  reinvest  him  with  life.  This  life  was  therefore  to  come  by  the 
woman.  Again,  in  the  address  of  the  judge  to  the  woman  he  had 
heard  the  words,  "  Thou  shalt  bear  children."  These  children  are  the 
seed,  among  whom  is  to  be  the  bruiser  of  the  serpent's  head,  and  the 
author  of  life.  And  in  an  humbler,  nearer  sense,  the  woman  is  to  be 
the  mother  of  children,  who  are  the  living,  and  perpetuate  the  life  of 
the  race  amid  the  ravages  which  death  is  daily  committing  on  its  indi- 
vidual members.  These  glimmerings  of  hope  for  the  future  make  a 
deep  impression  upon  the  father  of  mankind.  He  perceives  and  be- 
lieves that  through  the  woman  in  some  way  is  to  come  salvation  for  the 
race.  He  gives  permanent  expression  to  his  hope  in  the  significant 
name  which  he  gives  to  his  wife.     Here  we  see  to  our  unspeakable 


GEN.  III.  8-21.  133 

satisfaction  the  dawn  of  faith,  —  a  faith  indicating  a  new  beginning  of 
spiritual  life,  and  exercising  a  salutary  influence  on  the  wiU,  faintly 
illuminating  the  dark  bosom  of  our  first  parent.  The  mother  of  man- 
kind has  also  come  to  a  better  mind.  The  high  and  holy  Spirit  has  in 
mercy  withdrawn  the  cloud  of  misconception  from  the  minds  of  both, 
and  faith  in  the  Lord  and  repentance  have  sprung  up  in  their  new-born 
souls. 

21.  As  the  preceding  verse  records  an  instance  of  humble,  appre- 
hending faith  in  the  divine  word,  so  here  we  have  a  manifest  act  of 
mercy  on  the  part  of  God,  indicating  the  pardon  and  acceptance  of 
confessing,  believing  man,  rejoicing  in  anticipation  of  that  future  vic- 
tory over  the  serpent  which  was  to  be  accomplished  by  the  seed  of 
the  woman.  This  act  is  also  suitable  to  the  present  circumstances  of 
man,  and  at  the  same  time  strikingly  significant  of  the  higher  blessings 
connected  with  restoration  to  the  divine  favor.  He  had  discovered  his 
nakedness,  and  God  provides  him  with  a  suitable  covering.  He  was 
to  be  exposed  to  the  variations  of  climate,  and  here  was  a  durable  pro- 
tection against  the  weather.  But  far  more  than  this.  He  had  become 
morally  naked,  destitute  of  that  peace  of  conscience  which  is  an  impen- 
etrable shield  against  the  shame  of  being  blamed  and  the  fear  of  being 
punished ;  and  the  coats  of  skin  were  a  faithful  emblem  and  a  mani- 
fest guarantee  of  those  robes  of  righteousness  which  were  hereafter 
to  be  provided  for  the  penitent  in  default  of  that  original  righteousness 
which  he  had  lost  by  transgression.  And,  finaDy,  there  is  something 
remarkable  in  the  material  out  of  wliich  the  coats  were  made.  They 
were  most  likely  obtained  by  the  death  of  animals  ;  and  as  they  do  not 
appear  yet  to  have  been  slain  for  food,  some  have  been  led  to  conjec- 
ture that  they  were  offered  in  sacrifice,  —  slain  in  prefiguration  of  that 
subsequent  availing  sacrifice  which  was  to  take  away  sin.  It  is  the 
safer  course,  however,  to  leave  the  origin  of  sacrifice  an  open  question. 
Scripture  does  not  intimate  that  the  skins  were  obtained  in  consequence 
of  sacrifice ;  and  apart  from  the  presumption  derived  from  these  skins, 
it  seems  to  trace  the  origin  of  sacrifice  to  the  act  of  Habel  recorded  in 
the  next  chapter. 

This  leads  us  to  a  law,  which  we  find  frequently  exhibited  in  Sacred 
Scripture,  that  some  events  are  recorded  without  any  connection  or 
significance  apparent  on  the  surface  of  the  narrative,  while  at  the  same 
time  they  betoken  a  greater  amount  of  spiritual  knowledge  than  we 
are  wont  to  ascribe  to  the  age  in  which  they  occurred.  The  bare  fact 
which  the  writer  states,  being  looked  at  with  our  eyes,  may  have  no 


134 


THE  JUDGMENT. 


significance.  But  regarded,  as  it  ought  to  be,  with  the  eyes  of  the 
narrator,  cognizant  of  all  that  he  has  to  record  up  to  his  own  time,  it 
becomes  pregnant  with  a  new  meaning,  which  would  not  otherwise  have 
been  discovered.  Even  this,  however,  may  not  exhaust  the  import  of 
a  passage  contained  in  an  inspired  writing.  To  arrive  at  the  full  sense 
it  may  need  to  be  contemplated  with  the  eyes  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  con- 
scious of  all  that  is  to  become  matter  of  revelation  to  the  end  of  time. 
It  will  then  stand  forth  in  all  the  comprehensiveness  of  meaning  which 
its  relation  to  the  whole  body  of  revealed  truth  imparts,  and  under  the 
guise  of  an  every-day  matter-of-fact  will  convey  some  of  the  sublimest 
aspects  of  divine  truth.  Hence  the  subsequent  scripture,  which  is  the 
language  of  the  Holy  Spu-it,  may  aid  us  in  penetrating  the  hidden 
meaning  of  an  earlier  part  of  revelation. 

God  is  the  prime  mover  in  this  matter.  The  mercy  of  God  alone 
is  the  source  of  pardon,  of  the  mode  in  which  he  may  pardon  and  yet 
be  just,  and  of  the  power  by  which  the  sinner  may  be  led  to  accept  it 
with  penitence  and  gratitude.  In  the  brevity  of  the  narrative  the  re- 
sults only  are  noted ;  namely,  the  intimation  and  the  earnest  of  pardon 
on  the  side  of  God,  and  the  feehngs  and  doings  of  faith  and  repentance 
on  the  side  of  the  parents  of  mankind.  What  indications  God  may 
have  given  by  the  impressive  figure  of  sacrifice  or  otherwise  of  the 
penalty  being  paid  by  another  for  the  sinner,  as  a  necessary  condition 
of  forgiveness,  we  are  not  here  informed,  simply  because  those  for 
whom  a  written  record  was  necessary  would  learn  it  more  fully  at  a 
subsequent  stage  of  the  narrative.  This  suggests  two  remarks  impor- 
tant for  interpretation :  1st.  This  document  is  written  by  one  who  omits 
many  things  done  and  said  to  primeval  man,  because  they  ai-e  unneces- 
sary for  those  for  whom  he  ^\Tites,  or  because  the  principles  they  in- 
volve will  come  forward  in  a  more  distinct  form  in  a  future  pai't  of  his 
work.  This  practice  speaks  for  Moses  being  not  the  mere  collector, 
but  the  composer  of  the  documents  contained  in  Genesis,  out  of  such 
preexistent  materials  as  may  have  come  to  his  hand  or  his  mind.  2d. 
"We  are  not  to  import  into  the  narrative  a  doctrine  or  institution  in  all 
the  development  it  may  have  received  at  the  latest  period  of  revelation. 
This  would  be  contrary  to  the  manner  in  wliich  God  was  wont  to  teach 
man.  That  concrete  form  of  a  great  principle,  which  comported  with 
the  infantile  state  of  the  early  mind,  is  first  presented.  The  germ 
planted  in  the  opening,  fertile  mind,  springs  forth  and  grows.  Tlie  rev- 
elations and  institutions  of  God  grow  with  it  in  compass  and  gi-andeur. 
The  germ  was  truth  fitted  for  babes ;  the  full-grown  tree  is  only  the 


GEN.  III.  22-24.  135 

same  trutli  expanded  in  the  advancing  development  of  men  and  things. 
They  equally  err  who  stretch  the  past  to  the  measure  of  the  present, 
and  who  judge  either  the  past  or  the  future  by  the  standard  of  the 
present.  Well-meaning  but  inconsiderate  ciitics  have  gone  to  both 
extremes. 


XVII.    THE  EXECUTION.  —  Gen.  iii.  22-24. 

2i.  2>i^3  Kerub  ;  i^3  ui  Aram,  carve,  plough;  Pers.  grip,  grasp. 
This  word  occurs  about  eighty-seven  times  in  the  Hebrew  scriptures  ; 
in  sixty  of  which  it  refers  to  carved  or  embroidered  figures  ;  in  twenty- 
two  to  the  living  being  in  the  vision  of  Ezekiel  (Ezek.  x)  ;  in  two 
figuratively  to  the  king  of  Tyre  (Ezek.  xxviii.  14,  IG)  ;  in  two  to  a 
being  on  which  the  Lord  is  poetically  described  as  riding  (2  Sam.  xxii. 
11 ;  Ps.  xviii.  11)  ;  and  in  the  present  passage  unequivocally  to  real 
and  well-known  beings.  The  root  is  not  otherwise  extant  in  Hebrew 
proper.  But  from  the  class  of  actions  to  which  it  refers,  and  from  a 
review  of  the  statements  of  Scripture  concerning  these  creatures,  we 
are  led  to  the  following  conclusions  : 

1st.  The  cherubim  are  real  creatures,  and  not  mere  symbols.  In 
the  narrative  of  the  fall  they  are  introduced  as  real  into  the  scenes  of 
reality.  Their  existence  is  assumed  as  known  ;  for  God  is  said  to 
place  or  station  the  cherubim  at  the  east  of  the  garden  of  Eden.  The 
representation  of  a  cherub  too  in  vision,  as  part  of  a  symbolic  figure, 
implies  a  corresponding  reality  (Ezek.  x.  14).  A  symbol  itself  points 
to  a  reality. 

2d.  They  are  afterwards  described  as  living  creatures,  especially  in 
the  visions  of  Ezekiel  (i.  10).  This  seems  to  arise,  not  from  their 
standing  at  the  highest  stage  of  life,  which  the  term  does  not  denote, 
but  from  the  members  of  the  various  animals,  which  enter  into  their 
variously-described  figure.  Among  these  appear  the  faces  of  the  man, 
the  lion,  the  ox,  and  the  eagle,  of  which  a  cherubic  form  had  one,  two 
or  four  (Ex.  xxv.  20  ;  Ezek.  xli.  18,  i.  16).  They  had,  besides,  wings, 
in  number  two  or  four  (Ex.  xxv.  20  ;  1  Kings  vi.  27  ;  Ezek.  i.  6).  And 
they  had  the  hands  of  a  man  under  their  wings  on  their  four  sides 
(Ezek.  i.  8,  x.  8).  Ezekiel  also  describes  their  feet  as  being  straight, 
and  havmg  the  sole  like  that  of  a  calf.  They  sometimes  appear  too 
with  their  bodies,  hands,  wings,  and  even  accompanying  wheels  fuU  of 
eyes  (Ezek.  i.  18,  x.  12).     The  variety  in  the  figuration  of  the  cher- 


136  THE  EXECUTION. 

iibim  is  owing  to  the  variety  of  aspects  in  wliicli  they  stand,  and  of 
offices  or  services  they  have  to  perform  in  the  varying  posture  of 
affairs.  This  figuration  is  evidently  symbolic.  For  the  real  being  has 
not  a  varying  number  or  order  of  its  constituent  parts  in  the  same 
stage  of  its  existence,  though  it  may  be  readily  represented  by  a  diver- 
sity of  symbols,  according  to  the  diversity  of  the  circumstances  in  which 
it  appears,  and  of  operations  it  has  to  perform.  Tlie  figuration  is 
merely  intended  to  shadow  forth  its  nature  and  office  in  sensible  forms 
to  those  who  have  not  entered  the  spiritual  world. 

3d.  The  cherubim  are  intelligent  beings.  This  is  indicated  by  their 
form,  movement,  and  conduct.  In  their  visible  appearance  the  human 
form  predominates  :  "  They  had  the  likeness  of  a  man  "  (Ezek.  i.  5). 
The  human  face  is  in  front,  and  has  therefore  the  principal  place.  The 
"  hands  of  a  man "  determine  the  erect  posture,  and  therefore  tlie 
human  form  of  the  body.  The  parts  of  other  animal  forms  are  only 
accessory,  an^  serve  to  mark  the  possession  of  qualities  which  ai-e  not 
prominent  in  man.  The  lion  indicates  the  active  and  destructive 
powers ;  the  ox,  the  patient  and  productive ;  the  eagle  denotes  rapid 
motion,  with  which  the  wings  coincide,  and  quick  sight  with  which  the 
many  eyes  accord ;  and  the  man  signifies  reason,  which  rationalizes 
all  these  otherwise  physical  qualities. 

The  four  faces  indicate  powers  of  observation  that  sweep  the  whole 
horizon.  The  straight  feet,  with  soles  like  those  of  a  calf,  mark  an 
elasticity  of  step  appertaining  only  to  beings  unaffected  by  the  force  of 
gravitation.  Their  motion,  "  straightforward,"  combined  with  the  four 
faces,  and  the  wheel  within  a  wheel  going  according  to  its  quarters, 
points  to  a  capacity  of  moving  in  any  direction  without  turning  by  the 
mere  impulse  of  the  will.  The  intelligence  of  their  conduct  will 
appear  from  the  nature  of  the  duties  they  have  to  discharge. 

4th.  Their  special  office  seems  to  he  intellectual  and  potential  rather 
than  moral.  They  have  to  do  with  the  physical  mox'e  than  the  moral 
asjiect  of  being.  Hence  they  stand  related,  on  the  one  side,  to  God,  as 
d'^ii'lsx  the  Everlasting,  the  God  of  omnipotence  ;  and,  on  the  other,  to 
the  universe  of  created  things,  in  its  material,  animal,  and  intellectual 
departments,  and  to  the  general  administration  of  the  divine  will  in  this 
compi^ehensive  sphere.  The  radical  meanings  of  the  terms  carve, 
plough,  grasp,  point  to  the  potential.  The  hand  symbolizes  intelligent 
agency.  The  multiplicity  of  eyes  denotes  many-sided  intelligence. 
The  number  four  is  evidently  normal  and  characteristic.  It  marks 
their  relation  to  the  cosmos  —  universe  or  system  of  created  things. 


GEN.  ni.  22-24.  137 

5th.  Their  place  of  ministry  is  about  the  throne,  and  in  the  presence 
of  the  Almighty.  Accordingly,  where  he  manifests  himself  in  a  stated 
place,  and  with  all  the  solemnity  of  a  court,  there  they  generally 
appear. 

6th.  Their  special  functions  correspond  with  these  indications  of 
their  nature  and  place.  They  are  stationed  at  the  east  of  the  garden 
of  Eden,  where  God  had  condescended  to  walk  with  man  before  his 
fall,  and  where  he  still  lingers  on  earth  to  hold  communion  with  man, 
for  the  purpose  of  mercy,  and  their  business  is  to  keep  the  way  of  the 
tree  of  life.  They  are  figured  in  the  most  holy  place,  which  was 
appropriated  to  the  divine  presence,  and  constructed  after  the  pattern 
seen  in  the  mount.  They  stand  on  the  mercy-seat,  where  God  sits  to 
rale  his  people,  and  they  look  down  with  intelligent  wonder  on  the 
mysteries  of  redemption.  In  the  vision  of  the  likeness  of  the  glory  of 
God  vouchsafed  to  Ezekiel,  they  appear  under  the  expanse  on  which 
rests  the  throne  of  God,  and  beside  the  wheels  which  move  as  they 
move.  And  when  God  is  represented  as  in  movement  for  the  execu- 
tion of  his  judgments,  the  physical  elements  and  the  spiritual  essences 
are  alike  described  as  the  vehicles  of  his  irresistible  progress  (Ps. 
xviii.  11).  All  these  movements  are  mysteries  to  us,  while  we  are 
in  a  world  of  sense.  "We  cannot  comprehend  the  relation  of  the  spir- 
itual and  the  physical.  But  of  this  we  may  be  assured,  that  material 
things  are  at  bottom  centres  of  multiform  forces,  or  fixed  springs 
of  power,  to  which  the  Everlasting  Potentate  has  given  a  local  habita- 
tion and  a  name,  and  therefore  cognate  with  spiritual  beings  of  free 
power,  and  consequently  manageable  by  them. 

7th.  The  cherubim  seem  to  be  officially  distinct  from  angels  or  mes- 
sengei's  who  go  upon  special  errands  to  a  distance  from  the  presence- 
chamber  of  the  Almighty.  It  is  possible  that  they  are  also  to  be  dis- 
tinguished in  function  from  the  seraphim  and  the  living  beings  of  the 
Apocalypse,  who  like  them  appear  among  the  attendants  in  the  court 
of  heaven. 

22.  And  the  Lokd  God  said,  Behold,  the  man  is  become  as 
one  of  us  to  know  good  and  evil :  and  now  lest  he  put  forth 
his  hand,  and  take  also  of  the  tree  of  life,  and  eat,  and  live  for 
ever.  23.  Then  the  Lord  God  sent  him  forth  from  the  gar- 
den of  Eden,  to  till  the  soil  from  which  he  was  taken.  24.  So 
he  drove  out  the  man  ;  and  he  placed  at  the  east  of  the  garden 
18 


138  THE  EXECUTION. 

of  Eden  the  cherubim  and  the  flaming  sword  which  turned 
around,  to  keep  the  way  of  the  tree  of  life.  §  3. 

Here  we  enter  upon  the  record  of  the  steiDS  taken  to  caiTy  into 
effect  the  forfeiture  of  life  by  man,  consequent  upon  his  wilful  trans- 
gression of  the  divine  command. 

22.  As  one  of  us.  This  is  another  indication  of  the  plurality  in 
unity  which  is  evidently  inherent  in  the  Eternal  Spirit.  It  is  still 
more  significant  than  the  expression  of  concert  in  the  creation  of  man, 
as  it  cannot  be  explained  by  anything  short  of  a  personal  distinction. 

Behold,  the  man  is  become  as  one  of  us  to  Jcnow  good  and  evil.  We 
are  now  prepared  to  understand  the  nature  of  the  two  trees  which  were 
in  the  midst  of  the  garden.  The  tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and 
evil  effected  a  change,  not  in  the  physical  constitution  of  man,  but  in 
his  mental  experience,  —  in  his  knowledge  of  good  and  evil.  There  do 
not  appear  to  have  been  any  seeds  of  death,  —  any  poisonous  or  malig- 
nant power  in  the  tree.  "  The  woman  saw  that  the  tree  was  good  for 
food,  and  likely  to  the  eyes,"  as  well  as  a  ti^ee  to  be  desired  to  make 
one  wise.  Neither  does  it  appear  that  the  virtue  of  making  wise  on 
the  particular  point  of  moral  distinctions  lay  in  the  digestion  of  its 
fruit  when  received  into  the  stomach.  The  natural  effect  of  food  is  on 
the  body,  not  on  the  understanding.  The  moral  effect  lay  rather  in 
the  conduct  of  man  in  regard  to  the  tree,  as  a  thing  prohibited.  The 
result  of  his  conduct,  whether  in  the  way  of  obedience  or  disobedience 
to  the  divine  command,  was  to  be  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil.  If 
man  had  obeyed,  he  would  have  come  to  this  knowledge  in  a  legiti- 
mate way.  For  he  would  have  perceived  that  distrust  of  God  and 
disobedience  to  his  will,  as  they  were  externally  presented  to  his  view 
in  the  suggestions  of  the  tempter,  were  evil  ;  and  that  confidence  and 
obedience,  internally  experienced  in  himself  in  defiance  of  such  sug- 
gestions, were  good.  And  this  was  the  germ  of  the  knowledge  of  good 
and  evil.  But,  by  disregarding  the  express  injunction  of  his  Maker 
with  respect  to  this  tree,  he  attained  to  the  knowledge  of  good  and 
evil  in  an  unlawful  and  fatal  way.  He  learned  immediately  that  he 
himself  was  the  guilty  party,  whereas,  before,  he  was  free  from  guilt ; 
and  thus  became  aware,  in  his  own  person  and  to  his  own  condemna- 
tion, of  good  and  evil,  as  distinct  and  opposite  qualities. 

This  view  of  the  tree  is  in  accordance  with  all  the  intimations  of 
Scripture.     1st.  The  terras  in  which  it  is  prohibited  are,  "  Of  the  tree 


GEN.  III.  22-24. 


139 


of  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil  thou  shalt  not  eat ;  for  in  the  day 
thou  eatest  of  it,  die  surely  slialt  thou."  Here  it  is  important  to  mark 
the  consequence  which  is  pointed  out  as  flowing  from  the  eating  of  it. 
It  is  not,  Thou  shalt  know  good  and  evil  by  any  physical  virtue  of  the 
tree,  a  process  by  which  knowledge  comes  not  at  all ;  but,  "  Thou  shalt 
surely  die."  Now,  this  is  not  any  physical  result  of  the  fruit  being 
received  into  the  system,  since  man  did  not  die  for  centuries  after,  but 
a  penal  result,  in  fact,  the  awful  sanction  of  that  divine  command  by 
which  man's  probation  was  to  be  accomplished.  2d.  The  points  brought 
out  by  the  serpent  are  to  the  same  effect.  He  suggests  that  God  had 
not  given  permission  to  eat  of  every  tree  of  the  garden.  There  was 
some  reserve.  This  reserve  is  an  injury  to  man,  which  he  makes  out 
by  denying  that  death  is  the  consequence  of  eating  of  the  tree  reserved, 
and  asserting  that  special  benefits,  such  as  the  opening  of  the  eyes,  and 
being  as  God  in  knowing  good  and  evil,  would  follow.  In  both  of 
these  statements  there  is  equivocation.  Death  is  not  indeed  the  natural, 
but  it  is  the  legal  consequence  of  disobedience.  The  eyes  of  them  both 
were  opened,  and  they  became  like  God  in  knowing  good  and  evil ; 
but,  in  both  instances,  to  their  own  shame  and  confusion,  instead  of 
their  glory  and  honor.  They  saw  that  they  were  "  naked,"  and  they 
were  "  ashamed  "  and  "  afraid."  They  knew  good  and  evil ;  but  they 
knew  the  evil  to  be  present  with  them,  and  the  good  to  have  departed 
from  them.  3d.  The  interview  of  God  with  the  culprits  is  also  in 
keeping  with  the  same  view.  The  question  to  the  man  is,  "  Who  told 
thee  that  thou  wast  naked  ?  Hast  thou  eaten  of  the  tree  of  which  I 
commanded  thee  not  to  eat  ?  "  Mark  the  tenor  of  this  question.  It  is 
not,  Hast  thou  eaten  of  the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil  ? 
but,  "  of  which  I  commanded  thee  not  to  eat ;  "  by  which  it  is  indicated 
that,  not  the  physical  character  of  the  tree,  but  the  moral  character  of 
the  action,  is  the  point  of  the  interrogatory. 

The  tree,  then,  was  the  ordained  occasion  of  man's  becoming  as  God 
in  knoAving  good  and  evil.  He  had  now  reached  the  second,  or  exper- 
imental lesson  in  morals.  When  God  gave  him  the  theoretical  lesson 
in  the  command,  he  expected  that  the  practical  one  would  follow.  He 
now  says,  "  Behold  the  man  is  become  as  one  of  us,  to  know  good  and 
evil."  In  the  style  of  his  word  he  notes  the  result,  without  marking 
the  disobedience  of  man  as  the  means.  This  is  understood  from  the 
circumstances.  Man  is  therefore  guilty,  and  the  law  must  be  vindi- 
cated. 

Hence,  it  is  added.  Lest  he  put  forth  his  hand  and  tale  also  of  the 


140 


THE  EXECUTION. 


tree  of  life,  and  eat  and  live  for  ever.  This  sentence  is  completed  by 
an  act,  not  a  word,  as  we  shall  see  in  the  next  verse.  Measures  must 
be  taken  to  prevent  his  access  to  this  tree,  now  that  he  has  incurred 
the  penalty  of  death. 

From  this  sentence  it  follows  that  the  tree  of  life  must  have  had 
some  virtue  by  which  the  human  frame  was  to  be  kept  free  from  the 
decrepitude  of  age,  or  the  decay  that  terminates  in  death.  Its  name, 
the  tree  of  life,  accords  with  this  conclusion.  Only  on  such  a  ground 
could  exclusion  from  it  be  made  the  penalty  of  disobedience,  and  the 
occasion  of  death.  Thus  also  may  we  meet  and  answer  all  the  difficul- 
ties which  physiology  presents  to  the  immortality  of  unfallen  man. 
We  have  it  on  record  that  there  was  an  herbal  virtue  in  paradise  capa- 
ble of  counteracting  the  effects  of  the  wear  and  tear  of  the  animal 
frame.  This  confirms  our  account  of  the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of 
good  and  evil.  Death,  which,  it  is  to  be  remembered,  is,  to  a  moral 
and  responsible  being,  in  a  comprehensive  sense,  exclusion  from  the 
blessings  of  conscious  existence,  and  preeminently  from  that  of  the 
divine  complacence,  was  not  the  physical  effect  of  its  fruit  being  eaten, 
but  the  penal  consequence  of  a  forbidden  act.  And  this  consequence 
is  brought  about  by  a  special  judicial  process,  recorded  in  the  next 
verse. 

The  two  trees  stand  related  to  one  aiiother  in  a  way  that  touches  the 
very  centre  of  man's  moral  being.  "  Do  this  and  live  "  is  the  funda- 
mental dictum  of  the  moral  law.  Its  implied  counterpart  is,  "  If  thou 
do  it  not,  thou  shalt  die."  The  act  of  disobedience  is  evidently  deci- 
sive for  the  whole  conduct,  character,  and  relation  to  God.  It  there- 
fore necessarily  forfeits  that  life  which  consists  in  the  favor  of  God  and 
all  consequent  blessings.  The  two  trees  correspond  with  the  condition 
and  the  benefit  in  this  essential  covenant  of  law.  The  one  is  the  test 
of  man's  obedience,  or  disobedience  ;  the  other,  the  benefit  which  is 
retained  by  obedience  and  lost  by  disobedience.  Man  fails  in  obedi- 
ence, and  loses  the  blessing.  Henceforth  both  the  legal  and  the  bene- 
ficial parts  of  the  covenant  must  come  from  a  higher  source  to  all  that 
are  saved.  Christ  bestows  both  the  one  and  the  other  by  his  obedience 
and  by  his  Spirit.  In  the  old  form  of  the  covenant  of  grace,  the  pass- 
over  typifies  the  one,  and  circumcision  the  other  ;  in  the  new,  the 
Lord's  Supper  and  baptism  have  a  similar  import.  These  all,  from 
first  to  last,  betoken  the  two  essential  parts  of  salvation,  redemption, 
and  regeneration.  This  is  a  clear  example  of  the  unity  and  constancy 
which  prevail  in  the  works  of  God. 


GEN.  III.  22-24.  141 

It  is  evident  that  the  idea  of  immortality  is  familiar  to  the  early 
chapters  of  Genesis.  The  primeval  command  itself  implies  it.  Mor- 
tality, moreover,  applies  to  the  ^SS,  the  organic  living  body  ;  not  to  the 
particles  of  matter  in  that  body,  nor  to  the  ti'''=;n  n^cds,  breath  of  life 
which  came  from  God.  It  means  not  annihilation,  but  dissolution. 
Still  further,  the  first  part  of  death  is  exclusion  from  the  tree  of  life, 
which  takes  place  on  the  very  day  of  disobedience.  This  indicates  its 
nature.  It  is  not  annihilation  of  the  spiritual  essence,  which  does  not 
in  fact  take  place,  but  the  withdrawal  from  it  of  the  blessings  and 
enjoyments  in  communion  with  God  of  which  it  is  capable.  And, 
lastly,  the  whole  tenor  of  the  narrative  is,  that  death  is  a  penalty  for 
transgression  ;  whereas  annihilation  is  not  a  penalty,  but  a  release  from 
the  doom  of  perdition.  Accordingly,  the  tempter  is  not  annihilated,  but 
left  to  bear  his  doom ;  and  so  man's  existence  is  perpetuated  under 
partial  privation,  —  the  emblem  and  earnest  of  that  death  which  consists 
in  the  total  privation  of  life.  Death  is,  no  doubt,  in  its  primary  mean- 
ing, the  dissolution  of  the  living  body.  But  even  in  the  execution  of 
the  primeval  sentence  it  begins  to  expand  into  that  compass  of  mean- 
ing which  all  the  great  primitives  of  the  scriptural  language  sooner  or 
later  express.  Earth,  sky,  good,  evil,  hfe,  and  death  are  striking  spec- 
imens of  this  elasticity  of  signification.  Hence  we  perceive  that  the 
germs  of  the  doctrine  of  the  immortality  of  the  soul  lie  even  in  these 
primeval  documents.  And  more  we  could  not  expect,  unless  we  were 
to  concentrate  the  whole  fulness  of  revelation  on  this  subject  into  its 
opening  pages. 

23.  In  consequence  of  man's  disobedience  the  tree  of  life  is  with- 
drawn from  the  reach  of  man  as  a  forfeited  boon,  and  the  dissolution 
of  the  present  life  allowed  to  take  place  according  to  the  laws  of  na- 
ture, still  remaining  in  force  in  regard  to  other  animated  beings  ;  aided, 
indeed,  and  accelerated  in  their  operation,  by  the  sinful  abuse  of  human 
passions.  And  thus  the  expression,  "  in  the  day  thou  eatest  thereof 
thou  shalt  die,"  receives  its  simple  application.  It  is  a  conditional 
sentence,  pronounced  antecedently  as  a  warning  to  the  responsible 
party.  On  the  very  day  of  transgression  it  becomes  legally  valid 
against  him,  and  the  first  step  towards  its  regular  execution  in  the 
ordinary  course  of  things  is  taken.  This  step  is  his  exclusion  from  the 
tree  of  life.  This  is  effected  by  sending  man  out  of  the  garden  into 
the  common,  to  till  the  soil  whence  he  was  taken. 

24.  So  he  drove  out  the  man.  This  expresses  the  banishment  of 
man  from  the  garden  as  a  judicial  act.     While  he  is  left  to  the  fruits 


142  THE  EXECUTION. 

of  his  labor  for  the  means  of  subsistence  until  his  return  to  the  dust, 
his  access  to  the  source  of  perpetual  life  and  vigor  is  effectually  barred 
by  a  guard  stationed  east  of  the  garden,  where  was  no  doubt  its  only 
entrance,  consisting  of  the  cherubim  and  the  flame  of  a  sword  waving 
in  all  directions.  The  flaming  sword  is  the  visible  form  of  the  sword 
of  justice,  repelling  the  transgressors  from  the  seat  and  source  of  hap- 
piness and  life.  The  cherubim,  who  are  here  mentioned  as  well-known 
objects,  whose  figure  does  not  require  description,  are  the  ministers  of 
the  divine  presence  and  judgment,  —  of  his  pi'esence  which  was  not 
entirely  withdrawn  from  man  ;  and  of  his  judgment,  by  which  he  was 
excluded  from  the  garden  of  delight. 

There  is  unspeakable  mercy  here  in  every  respect  for  the  erring 
race.  This  present  life  in  the  flesh  was  now  tainted  with  sin,  and 
impregnated  with  the  seeds  of  the  curse,  about  to  spring  forth  into  an 
awful  growth  of  moral  and  physical  evil.  It  is  not  Avorth  preserving 
for  itself.  It  is  not  in  any  way  desirable  that  such  a  dark  confusion 
of  life  and  death  in  one  nature  should  be  perpetuated.  Hence  there  is 
mercy  as  well  as  judgment  in  the  exclusion  of  man  from  that  tree 
which  could  have  only  continued  the  carnal,  earthly,  sensual  and  even 
devilish  state  of  his  being.  Let  it  remain  for  a  season,  until  it  be  seen 
whether  the  seed  of  spiritual  life  will  come  to  birth  and  growth,  and 
then  let  death  come  and  put  a  final  end  to  the  old  man. 

But,  still  further,  God  does  not  annihilate  the  garden  or  its  tree  of 
life.  Annihilation  does  not  seem  to  be  his  way.  It  is  not  the  way  of 
that  omniscient  One  who  sees  the  end  from  the  beginning,  of  that  in- 
finite Wisdom  that  can  devise  and  create  a  self-working,  self-adjusting 
universe  of  things  and  events.  On  the  other  hand,  he  sets  his  cheru- 
bim to  keep  the  way  of  the  tree  of  life.  This  paradise,  then,  and  its 
tree  of  life  are  in  safe  keeping.  They  are  in  reserve  for  those  v/ho  will 
become  entitled  to  them  after  an  intervening  period  of  trial  and  victory, 
and  they  will  reappear  in  all  their  pristine  glory  and  in  all  their  beau- 
tiful adaptedness  to  the  high-born  and  new-born  perfection  of  man.  The 
slough  of  that  serpent  nature  which  has  been  infused  into  man  will  fall 
oft",  at  least  from  the  chosen  number  who  take  refuge  in  the  mercy  of 
God ;  and  in  all  the  freshness  and  freedom  of  a  heaven-born  nature 
•will  they  enter  into  all  the  originally  congenial  enjoyments  that  were 
shadowed  forth  in  their  pristine  bloom  in  that  first  scene  of  human 
bliss. 

We  have  now  gone  over  the  prelude  to  the  history  of  man.  It  con- 
sists of  three  distinct  events  :  the  absolute  creation  of  the  heavens  and 


GEN.  III.  22-24.  143 

the  earth,  contained  in  one  verse  ;  the  last  creation,  in  which  man  him- 
self came  into  being,  embracing  the  remainder  of  the  first  chapter;  and 
the  history  of  the  first  pair  to  the  fall,  recorded  in  the  second  and  third 
chapters.  The  first  two  fall  into  one,  and  reveal  the  invisible  everlast- 
ing Elohim  coming  forth  out  of  the  depths  of  his  inscrutable  eternity, 
and  manifesting  himself  to  man  in  the  new  character  of  Jehovah,  the 
author  and  perpetuator  of  a  universe  of  being,  and  preeminently  of 
man,  a  type  and  specimen  of  the  rational  order  of  beings.  "Whenever 
moral  agents  come  into  existence,  and  wherever  they  come  into  con- 
tact, there  must  be  law,  covenant,  or  compact.  Hence  the  command  is 
laid  upon  man  as  the  essential  prerequisite  to  his  moral  deportment ; 
and  Jehovah  appears  further  as  the  vindicator  of  law,  the  keeper  of 
covenant,  the  performer  of  promise.  Man,  being  instructed  by  him 
in  the  fundamental  principle  of  all  law,  namely,  the  right  of  the  Crea- 
tor over  the  creature,  and  the  independence  of  each  creature  in  relation 
to  every  other,  takes  the  first  step  in  moral  conduct.  But  it  is  a  false 
one,  violating  this  first  law  of  nature  and  of  God  in  both  its  parts. 
"  Thus  by  one  man  sin  entered  into  the  world,  and  death  by  sin." 
Hence  the  prospect  of  man's  future  history  is  clouded,  and  it  cannot  be 
darker  than  it  afterwards  turns  out  to  be.  But  still  it  is  tinged  even 
in  its  early  dawn  with  some  rays  of  heavenly  hope.  The  Lord  God 
has  held  out  signals  of  mercy  to  the  tempted  and  fallen  pair.  The 
woman  and  the  man  have  not  been  slow  to  acknowledge  this,  and  to 
show  symptoms  of  returning  faith  and  repentance.  And  though  they 
have  been  shut  out  of  the  garden,  yet  that  region  of  bliss  and  its  tree 
of  life  are  not  swept  out  of  existence,  but,  in  the  boundless  mercy  of 
God,  reserved  in  safe  keeping  for  those  who  shall  become  heirs  of 
glory,  honor,  and  immortality. 

Let  it  be  observed  that  we  here  stand  on  the  broad  ground  of  our 
common  humanity.  From  this  wide  circumference  Scripture  never 
recedes.  Even  when  it  recounts  the  fortunes  of  a  single  individual, 
family,  or  nation,  its  eye  and  its  interest  extend  to  the  whole  race;  and  it 
only  dwells  on  the  narrower  circle  of  men  and  things  as  the  potential 
spring  of  nascent,  growing,  and  eternal  life  and  blessing  to  the  whole 
race.  Let  us  endeavor  to  do  justice  to  this  ancient  record,  in  the  calm 
and  constant  grandeur  and  catholicity  of  its  revelations  concerning  the 
ways  of  God  with  man. 


SECTION  IV.  — THE  FAMILY  OF  ADAM. 


XVIII.     CAIN  AND  ABEL.  —Gen.  Iv.  1-16. 

1.  ')'^|5  Qain,  spear-shaff,  and  tispr  set  up,  cstahUsh,  gain,  buy,  contain 
the  biliteral  root  "Jp  set  up,  erect,  gain.  Tlie  relations  of  root-words 
are  not  confined  to  the  narrow  rules  of  our  common  etymology,  but 
really  extend  to  such  instinctive  usages  as  the  unlettered  speaker  will 
invent  or  employ.  A  full  examination  of  the  Hebrew  tongue  leads  to 
the  conclusion  that  a  biliteral  root  lies  at  the  base  of  many  of  those 
triliterals  that  consist  of  two  firm  consonants  and  a  third  weaker  one 
varying  in  itself  and  its  position.  Thus  "ys^  and  3ia.  So  ""p.p  and  nsj? 
grow  from  one  root. 

2.  bnn  Habel,  breath,  vapor. 

3.  tin;"2  gift,  offering,  tribute.  In  contrast  with  n^T,  it  means  a 
bloodless  offering. 

7.  r,x::ln  sin,  sin-penalty,  sin-offering,     "j^n'n  lie,  couch  as  an  animal. 
16.  1i3  '^Q^,  flight,  exile  ;  v.  flee. 

IV.  1.  And  the  man  knew  Eve  his  wife  ;  and  she  conceived 
and  bare  Cain,  and  said,  I  have  gotten  a  man  from  the  Lord. 
2.  And  she  added  to  bear  his  brother  Habel :  and  Habel  be- 
came a  keeper  of  sheep,  and  Cain  a  tiller  of  the  soil.  3.  And 
it  came  to  pass  at  the  end  of  days  that  Cain  Ijrought  of  the 
fruit  of  the  soil  an  offering  unto  the  Lord.  4.  And  Habel 
brought  he  also  of  the  firstlings  of  his  flock,  and  of  the  fat 
thereof:  and  tlie  Lord  had  respect  unto  Habel  and  to  his  offer- 
ing. 5.  But  unto  Cain  and  to  his  offering  he  had  not  respect : 
and  Cain  was  very  wroth,  and  his  countenance  fell.  G.  And 
the  Lord  said  unto  Cain,  Why  art  thou  wroth  ?  and  why  is  thy 
countenance  fallen  ?  7.  If  thou  do  well,  shalt  thou  not  be 
accepted  ?  and  if  thou  do  not  well,  at  the  door  is  sin  lying : 


GEN.  IV.  1- 


145 


and  unto  tliee  shall  be  his  desire,  and  thou  shalt  rule  over  him. 
8.  And  Cain  talked  with  Habel  his  brother  :  and  it  came  to 
pass,  when  they  were  in  the  field,  that  Cain  rose  up  against 
Habel  his  brother,  and  slew  him.  9.  And  the  Lord  said  unto 
Cain,  Where  is  Habel,  thy  brother  ?  And  he  said,  I  know  not : 
am  I  my  brother's  keeper  ?  10.  And  he  said.  What  hast  thou 
done  ?  The  voice  of  thy  brother's  blood  crieth  unto  me  from 
the  soil.  11.  And  now  cursed  art  thou  from  the  soil  wliich 
hath  opened  its  moutli  to  receive  thy  brother's  blood  from  thy 
hand.  12.  When  thou  tillest  the  soil,  it  shall  not  add  to  yield 
its  strength  to  thee :  a  vagabond  and  a  fugitive  shalt  thou  be 
in  the  land.  13.  And  Cain  said  unto  the  Lord,  Great  is  my 
iniquity  above  bearing.  14.  Behold,  thou  hast  driven  me  out 
this  day  from  the  face  of  the  soil,  and  from  thy  face  shall  I  be 
hid :  and  I  shall  be  a  vagabond  and  a  fugitive  in  the  land,  and 
it  sliall  be  that  any  one  that  findeth  me  shall  slay  me.  15. 
And  the  Lord  said  unto  him,  Therefore  on  any  one  slaying 
Cain,  he  shall  be  avenged  seven-fold.  And  the  Lord  gave  Cain 
a  sign,  that  no  one  finding  him  should  smite  him.  16.  And 
Cain  went  out  from  the  face  of  the  Lord,  and  dwelt  in  the  land 
of  Nod,  on  the  east  of  Eden. 

This  chapter  is  a  continuation  of  the  second  document.  Yet  it 
is  distinguished  from  the  previous  part  of  it  by  the  use  of  the  name 
.Jehovah  alone,  and,  in  one  instance,  Elohim  alone,  to  designate  the 
Supreme  Being.  This  is  sufficient  to  show  that  distinct  pieces  of  com- 
position are  included  within  these  documents.  In  the  creation  week 
and  in  the  judgment,  God  has  proved  himself  an  originator  of  being 
and  a  keeper  of  his  word,  and,  therefore,  the  significant  personal  name 
Jehovah  is  ready  on  the  lips  of  Eve  and  from  the  pen  of  the  writer. 
The  history  of  fallen  man  now  proceeds.  The  first  family  comes  under 
our  notice. 

1.  Here  the  first  husband  and  wife  become  father  and  mother.  This 

new  relation  must  be  deeply  interesting  to  both,  but  at  first  peculiarly 

so  to  the  mother.     Now  was  begun  the  fulfilment  of  all  the  intimations 

she  had  received  concerning  her  seed.     She  was  to  have  conception. 

19 


146 


CAIN  AND  ABEL. 


and  sorrow  multiplied.  But  slie  was  to  be  tlie  mother  of  all  living. 
And  lier  seed  was  to  bruise  the  serpent's  head.  All  these  recollec- 
tions added  much  to  the  intrinsic  interest  of  becoming  a  mother.  Her 
feelings  are  manifested  in  the  name  given  to  her  son  and  the  reason 
assigned  for  it.  She  "  bare  Cain  and  said,  I  have  gained  a  man  from 
Jehovah."  Cain  occurs  only  once  as  a  common  noun,  and  is  rendered 
by  the  Seventy  Sopv,  spear-shaft.  The  primitive  meaning  of  the  root  is 
to  set  up,  or  to  erect,  as  a  cane,  a  word  which  comes  from  the  root ; 
then  it  means  to  create,  make  one's  own,  and  is  applied  to  the  Crea- 
tor (Gen.  xiv.  10)  or  the  parent  (Deut.  xxxii.  G).  Hence  the  word 
here  seems  to  denote  a  thing  gained  or  achieved,  a  figurative  expres- 
sion for  a  child  born.  The  gaining  or  bearing  of  the  child  is  therefore 
evidently  the  prominent  thought  in  Eve's  mind,  as  she  takes  the  child's 
name  from  this.  This  serves  to  explain  the  sentence  assigning  /the 
reason  for  the  name.  If  the  meaning  had  been,  "  I  have  gained  a  man, 
namely,  Jehovah,"  then  the  child  would  have  been  called  Jehovah.  If 
Jehovah  had  even  been  the  emphatic  word,  the  name  would  have  been 
a  compound  of  Jehovah,  and  either  t:3-'X  man,  or  ni^  gain,  such  as 
Ishiah  or  Coniah.  But  the  name  Cain  proves  "^r"?!^  I  have  gained 
to  be  the  emphatic  word,  and  therefore  the  sentence  is  to  be  rendered 
"I  have  gained  (borne)  a  man  (with  the  assistance)  of  Jehovah." 

The  word  "  man  "  probably  intimates  that  Eve  fully  expected  her 
son  to  grow  to  the  stature  and  maturity  of  her  husband.  If  she  had 
daughters  before,  and  saw  them  growing  up  to  maturity,  this  would 
explain  her  expectation,  and  at  the  same  time  give  a  new  significance 
and  emphasis  to  her  exclamation,  "I  have  gained  a  man  (heretofore 
only  women)  from  Jehovah."  It  Avould  heighten  her  ecstasy  still  more 
if  she  expected  this  to  be  the  very  seed  that  should  bruise  the  ser- 
pent's head. 

Eve  is  under  the  influence  of  pious  feelings.  She  has  faith  in  God, 
and  acknowledges  him  to  be  the  author  of  the  precious  gift  she  has 
received.  Prompted  by  her  grateful  emotion,  she  confesses  her  faith. 
She  alco  employs  a  new  and  near  name  to  designate  her  maker.  In 
the  dialogue  with  the  tempter  she  liad  used  the  word  God  (p^rh-:^^. 
But  now  she  adopts  Jehovah.  In  this  one  word  she  hides  a  treasure 
of  comfort.  "  He  is  true  to  his  promise.  He  has  not  forgotten  me. 
He  is  with  me  now  again.  He  will  never  leave  me  nor  forsake  me. 
He  will  give  me  the  victory."  And  who  can  blame  her  if  she  verily 
expected  that  this  would  be  the  promised  deliverer  who  should  bruise 
the  serpent's  head  ? 


GEN.  IV.  1-16. 


147 


2.  His  hrother  Habel.  Habel  means  breath,  vani*y.  Does  a  sense 
of  the  vanity  of  earthly  things  grow  in  the  minds  of  our  first  parents  ? 
Has  the  mother  found  her  sorrow  muUiphed  ?  Has  she  had  many 
daughters  between  these  sons  ?  Is  there  something  delicate  and  frag- 
ile in  the  appearance  of  Habel  ?  Has  Cain  disappointed  a  mother's 
hopes  ?  Some  of  all  these  thoughts  may  have  prompted  the  name. 
There  is  something  remarkable  in  the  phrase  "  his  brother  Habel."  It 
evidently  points  with  touching  simplicity  to  the  coming  outrage  that 
was  to  destroy  the  peace  and  pui-ity  of  the  first  home. 

The  two  primitive  employments  of  men  were  the  agricultural  and 
the  pastoral.  Here  is  the  second  allusion  to  some  use  which  was  made 
of  animals  soon  after  the  fall.  Coats  of  skin  were  provided  for  the 
first  pair  ;  and  now  we  have  Habel  keeping  sheep.  In  the  garden  of 
Eden,  where  the  tree  of  life  was  accessible,  an  exclusively  vegetable 
diet  was  designed  for  man.  Whether  this  continued  after  the  fall,  we 
are  not  informed.  It  is  certain  that  man  had  dominion  over  the  whole 
animal  kingdom.  It  can  scarcely  be  doubted  that  the  outer  coverings 
of  animals  were  used  for  clothing.  Animals  are  presently  to  be  em- 
ployed for  sacrifice.  It  is  not  beyond  the  bounds  of  probability  that 
animal  food  may  have  been  used  before  the  flood,  as  a  partial  compen- 
sation for  the  want  of  the  tree  of  life,  which  may  have  been  fitted  to 
supply  all  the  defects  of  vegetable  and  even  animal  fare  in  sustaining 
the  human  frame  in  its  primeval  vigor. 

Man  in  his  primitive  state,  then,  was  not  a  mere  gatherer  of  acorns, 
a  hunter,  or  a  nomad.  He  began  with  horticulture,  the  highest  form 
of  rural  life.  After  the  fall  he  descended  to  the  culture  of  the  field 
and  the  tending  of  cattle  ;  but  still  he  had  a  home,  and  a  settled  mode 
of  living.  It  is  only  by  a  third  step  that  he  degenerates  to  the  wan- 
dering and  barbarous  state  of  existence.  And  only  by  the  predom- 
inance of  might  over  right,  the  selfish  lust  of  power,  and  the  clever 
combinations  of  rampant  ambition,  comes  that  form  of  society  in  which 
the  highest  state  of  barbaric  civilization  and  the  lowest  depth  of  bondage 
and  misery  meet. 

3.  At  the  end  of  days.  This  may  denote  the  end  of  the  week,  of  the 
year,  or  of  some  longer  period.  The  season  of  the  year  was  probably 
the  ingathering,  when  the  fruits  of  the  earth  and  the  firstlings  of  the 
flock  would  come  in,  and  when  it  was  not  unnatural  for  the  first  family 
to  celebrate  with  a  subdued  thankfuhiess  the  anniversary  of  their  cre- 
ation. And  the  present  occasion  seems  to  have  been  the  time  when 
Cain  and  Habel,  have  arrived  at  the  years  of  discretion  and   self- 


148  CAIN  AND  ABEL. 

dependence,  solemnly  come  forward  with  their  first  voluntary  offering 
to  the  Lord.  Hitherto  they  may  have  come  under  their  parents,  who 
were  then  the  actual  offerers.  Now  they  come  on  their  own  account. 
Here,  accordingly,  we  ascend  from  the  secular  to  the  eternal.  We 
find  a  church  in  the  primeval  family.  If  Cain  and  Habel  offer  to 
God,  we  may  imagine  it  was  the  habit  of  their  parents,  and  has  de- 
scended to  them  with  all  the  sanction  of  parental  example.  But  we 
may  not  venture  to  aflBrm  this  in  all  its  extent.  Parental  example 
they  no  doubt  had,  in  some  respects ;  but  whether  Adam  and  Eve  had 
yet  ascended  so  far  from  the  valley  of  repentance  and  humiliation  as 
to  make  bold  to  offer  anything  to  the  Lord,  admits  of  question.  Right 
feeling  in  the  first  offenders  would  make  the  confidence  of  faith  very 
slow  of  growth.  It  is  even  more  natural  for  their  children,  being  one 
remove  from  the  actual  transgressors,  to  make  the  first  essay  to  ap- 
proach God  with  an  offering. 

Cain  brings  of  the  fruits  of  the  soil.  We  cannot  say  this  was  the 
mere  utterance  of  nature  giving  thanks  to  the  Creator  for  his  benefits, 
and  acknowledging  that  all  comes  from  him,  and  all  is  due  to  him. 
History,  parental  instruction,  and  possibly  example,  were  also  here  to 
give  significance  to  the  act.  The  offering  is  also  made  to  Jehovah,  the 
author  of  nature,  of  revelation,  and  now,  in  man's  fallen  state,  of 
grace.  There  is  no  intimation  in  this  verse  of  the  state  of  Cain's 
feelings  towards  God.  And  there  is  only  a  possible  hint,  in  the  "  coats 
of  skin,"  in  regard  to  the  outward  form  of  offering  that  would  be 
acceptable.     We  must  not  anticipate  the  result. 

4,  5.  And  Habel  brought.  Ilabel's  offering  differs  from  that  of  his 
brother  in  outward  form.  It  consists  of  the  firsthngs  of  his  flock. 
These  were  slain ;  for  their  fat  is  offered.  Blood  was  therefore  shed, 
and  life  taken  away.  To  us  who  are  accustomed  to  partake  of  animal 
food,  there  may  appear  nothing  strange  here.  We  may  suppose  that 
each  brother  offered  that  which  came  to  hand  out  of  the  produce  of  his 
own  industry.  But  let  us  ascend  to  that  primeval  time  when  the  fruit 
tree  and  the  herb  bearing  seed  were  alone  assigned  to  man  for  food, 
and  we  must  feel  that  there  is  something  new  here.  Still  let  us  wait 
for  the  result. 

And  the  Lord  had  respect  unto  Habel  and  his  offering,  but  not 
unto  Cain.  We  have  now  the  simple  facts  before  us.  Let  us  hear 
the  inspired  comment  :  "  Hicttci,  by  faith  Abel  offered  unto  God 
TrXctova  Svcriav  a  more  excellent  sacrifice  than  Cain"  (Heb.  xi.  4). 
There  was,  then,  clearly  an  internal  moral  distinction  in  the  intention 


GEN.  IV.  1-16.  149 

or  disposition  of  the  offerers.  Habel  had  faith,  —  that  confiding  in  God 
which  is  not  bare  and  cold,  but  is  accompanied  with  confession  of 
sin,  and  a  sense  of  gratitude  for  his  mercy,  and  followed  by  obe- 
dience to  his  will.  Cain  had  not  this  faith.  He  may  have  had  a  faith 
in  the  existence,  power,  and  bounty  of  God  ;  but  it  wanted  that  peni- 
tent returning  to  God,  that  humble  acceptance  of  his  mercy,  and  sub- 
mission to  his  will,  whicli  constitute  true  faith.  It  must  be  admitted 
the  faith  of  the  offerer  is  essential  to  the  acceptableness  of  the  offering, 
even  though  other  things  were  equal. 

But,  in  this  case,  there  is  a  difference  in  the  things  offered.  The 
one  is  a  vegetable  offering,  the  other  an  animal ;  the  one  a  presenta- 
tion of  things  without  life,  the  other  a  sacrifice  of  life.  Hence  the 
latter  is  called  TrXdwv  Svaia ;  there  is  more  in  it  than  in  the  former. 
The  two  offerings  are  therefore  expressive  of  the  different  kinds  of 
faith  in  the  offerers.  They  are  the  excogitation  and  exhibition  in 
outward  symbol  of  the  faith  of  each.  The  fruit  of  the  soil  offered  to 
God  is  an  acknowledgment  that  the  means  of  this  earthly  life  are  due 
to  him.  This  expresses  the  barren  faith  of  Cain,  but  not  the  living 
faith  of  Habel.  The  latter  has  entered  deeply  into  the  thought  that 
life  itself  is  forfeited  to  God  by  transgression,  and  that  only  by  an  act 
of  mercy  can  the  Author  of  life  restore  it  to  the  penitent,  trusting,  sub- 
missive, loving  heart.  He  has  pondered  on  the  intimations  of  relent- 
ing mercy  and  love  that  have  come  from  the  Lord  to  the  fallen  race, 
and  cast  himself  upon  them  without  reserve.  He  slays  the  animal  of 
which  he  is  the  lawful  owner,  as  a  victim,  thereby  acknowledging  that 
his  life  is  due  for  sin  ;  he  offers  the  life  of  the  animal,  not  as  though  it 
were  of  equal  value  with  his  own,  but  in  token  that  another  life,  equiv- 
alent to  his  own,  is  due  to  justice  if  he  is  to  go  free  by  the  as  yet 
inscrutable  mercy  of  God. 

Such  a  thought  as  this  is  fairly  deducible  from  the  facts  on  the 
surface  of  our  record.  It  seems  necessary  in  order  to  account  for  the 
first  slaying  of  an  animal  under  an  economy  where  vegetable  diet  was 
alone  permitted.  We  may  go  further.  It  is  hard  to  suppose  the 
slaying  of  an  animal  acceptable,  if  not  previously  allowed.  The  coats 
of  skin  seem  to  involve  a  practical  allowance  of  the  killing  of  animals 
for  certain  purposes.  Thus  we  arrive  at  the  conclusion  that  there  was 
more  in  the  animal  than  in  the  vegetable  offering,  and  that  more  essen- 
tial to  the  full  expression  of  a  right  faith  in  the  mercy  of  God,  without 
borrowing  the  light  of  future  revelation.  Hence  the  nature  of  Habel's 
sacrifice  was  the  index  of  the  genuineness  of  his  faith.     And  the  Lord 


150  CAIN  AOT)  ABEL. 

had  respect  unto  him  and  his  offering ;  thereby  intimating  that  his 
heart  was  right,  and  his  offering  suitable  to  the  expression  of  his  feel- 
ings. This  finding  is  also  in  keeping  with  the  manner  of  Scripture, 
which  takes  the  outward  act  as  the  simple  and  spontaneous  exponent 
of  the  inward  feeling.  The  mode  of  testifying  his  respect  to  Habel 
was  by  consuming  his  offering  with  fire,  or  some  other  way  equally 
open  to  observation. 

And  Cain  was  very  wroth,  and  his  countenance  fell.  A  feehng  of 
resentment,  and  a  sense  of  disgrace  and  condemnation  take  possession 
of  Cain's  breast.  There  is  no  spirit  of  inquiry,  self-examination,  prayer 
to  God  for  light,  or  pardon.  This  shoAvs  that  Cain  was  fai'  from  being 
in  a  right  frame  of  mind. 

6,  7.  Why  art  thou  wroth?  and  why  is  thy  countenance  fallen  ?  The 
Lord  does  not  yet  give  up  Cain.  In  great  mercy  he  expostulates  with 
him.  He  puts  a  question  which  implies  that  there  is  no  just  cause  for 
his  present  feehngs.  Neither  anger  at  his  brother,  because  his  offering 
has  been  accepted,  nor  vexation  in  himself,  because  his  own  has  not, 
is  a  right  feeling  ua  the  presence  of  the  just  and  merciful  God,  who 
searches  the  heart.  Submission,  self-examination,  and  amendment  of 
what  has  been  wrong  in  his  approach  to  God,  alone  benefit  the  oc- 
casion. To  this,  accordingly,  the  Lord  directs  his  attention  in  the  next 
sentence. 

J^  thou  do  well,  shalt  thou  not  be  accepted  ?  To  do  well  is  to  retrace 
his  steps,  to  consider  his  ways,  and  find  out  wherein  he  has  been 
wrong,  and  to  amend  his  offering  and  his  intention  accordingly.  He 
has  not  duly  considered  the  relation  in  which  he  stands  to  God  as 
a  guilty  sinner,  whose  life  is  forfeited,  and  to  whom  the  hand  of 
mercy  is  held  out ;  and  accordingly  he  has  not  felt  this  in  offering,  or 
given  expression  to  it  in  the  nature  of  his  offering.  Yet  the  Lord 
does  not  immediately  reject  him,  but  with  longsuffering  patience 
directs  his  attention  to  this,  that  it  may  be  amended.  And  on  making 
such  amendment,  he  holds  out  to  him  the  clear  and  certain  hope 
of  acceptance  still.  But  he  does  more  than  this.  As  Cain  seems  to 
have  been  of  a  particularly  hard  and  unheedful  disposition,  he  com- 
pletes his  expostulation,  and  deepens  its  awful  solemnity,  by  stating 
the  other  alternative,  both  in  its  condition  and  consequence,  — 

And  if  thou  do  not  well,  at  the  door  is  sin  lying.  Sin  past,  in  its 
unrequited  and  unacknowledged  guilt ;  sin  present,  in  its  dark  and 
stubborn  passion  and  despair  ;  but,  above  all,  sin  future,  as  the  growing 
habit  of  a  soul  that  persists  in  an  evil  temper,  and  therefore  must  add 


GEN.  IV.  1-16.  151 

iniquity  unto  iniquity,  is  awaiting  thee  at  the  door,  as  a  crouching 
slave  the  bidding  of  his  master.  As  one  lie  borrows  an  endless  train 
of  others  to  keep  up  a  vain  appearance  of  consistency,  so  one  sin  if 
not  repented  of  and  forsaken  involves  the  dire  necessity  of  plunging 
deeper  and  deeper  into  the  gulf  of  depravity  and  retribution.  This 
dread  warning  to  Cain,  expressed  in  the  mildest  and  plainest  terms,  is 
a  standing  lesson  written  for  the  learning  of  all  mankind.  Let  him 
who  is  in  the  wrong  retract  at  once,  and  return  to  God  with  humble 
acknowledgment  of  his  own  guilt,  and  unreserved  submission  to  the 
mercy  of  his  Maker ;  for  to  him  who  perseveres  in  sin  there  can  be 
no  hope  or  help.  Another  sentence  is  added  to  give  intensity  to  the 
warning,  — 

"  And  unto  thee  shall  he  his  desire,  and  thou  shalt  rule  over  Mm." 
This  sentence  has  all  the  pithiness  and  familiarity  of  a  proverb.  It 
has  been  employed  before,  to  describe  part  of  the  tribulation  the  wo- 
man brought  upon  herself  by  disobedience,  namely,  the  forced  subjec- 
tion of  her  will  to  that  of  her  husband  in  the  fallen  state  of  humanity 
(Gen.  iii.  IG).  It  is  accordingly  expressive  of  the  condition  of  a  slave 
under  the  hard  bondage  and  arbitrary  caprice  of  a  master  and  a  tyrant. 
Cain  is  evidently  the  master.  The  question  is.  Who  is  the  slave  ?  To 
whom  do  the  pronouns  "  his  "  and  "  him  "  refer  ?  Manifestly,  either 
to  sin  or  to  Habel.  If  to  sin,  then  the  meaning  of  the  sentence  is,  the 
desire,  the  entire  submission  and  service  of  sin  will  be  yielded  to  thee, 
and  thou  wilt  in  fact  make  thyself  master  of  it.  Thy  case  will  be  no 
longer  a  heedless  ignorance,  and  consequent  dereliction  of  duty,  but  a 
wilful  overmastering  of  all  that  comes  by  sin,  and  an  unavoidable 
going  on  from  sin  to  sin,  from  inward  to  outward  sin,  or,  in  specific 
terms,  from  wrath  to  murder,  and  from  disappointment  to  defiance,  and 
so  from  unrighteousness  to  ungodliness.  This  is  an  awful  picture  of  his 
fatal  end,  if  he  do  not  instantly  retreat.  But  it  is  necessary  to  deal 
plainly  with  this  dogged,  vindictive  spirit,  if  by  any  means  he  may  be 
brought  to  a  right  mind. 

If  the  pronouns  be  referred  to  Habel,  the  meaning  will  come  to 
much  the  same  thing.  The  desire,  the  forced  compliance,  of  thy 
brother  will  be  yielded  unto  thee,  and  thou  wilt  rule  over  him  with  a 
rigor  and  a  violence  that  will  terminate  in  his  murder.  In  violating 
the  image  of  God  by  shedding  the  blood  of  thy  brother,  thou  wilt  be 
defying  thy  Maker,  and  fiercely  rushing  on  to  thy  own  perdition. 
Thus,  in  either  case,  the  dark  doom  of  sin  unforsaken  and  unremitted 
looms  fearfully  in  the  distance. 


152  CAIN  AND  ABEL. 

The  general  reference  to  sin,  however,  seems  to  be  the  milder  and 
more  soothing  form  of  expostulation.  The  special  reference  to  Habel 
might  only  exasperate.  It  appears,  moreover,  to  be  far-fetched,  as 
there  is  no  allusion  to  his  brother  in  the  previous  part  of  the  address. 
The  boldness  of  the  figure  by  which  Cain  is  represented  as  making 
himself  master  of  sin,  when  he  with  reckless  hand  grasps  at  all  that 
comes  by  sin,  is  not  unfamiliar  to  Scripture.  Thus  the  doer  of  wick- 
edness is  described  as  the  master  of  it  (Eccl.  viii.  8).  On  these 
grounds  we  prefer  the  reference  to  sin,  and  the  interpretation  founded 
on  it. 

There  are  two  other  expositions  of  this  difficult  sentence  which  de- 
serve to  be  noticed.  1st.  "  Aiid  as  to  thy  brother,  unto  thee  shall 
be  his  desire,  and  thou  shalt  rule  over  him  with  all  the  right  of  the  first 
lorn."  But  ( 1)  the  reference  to  his  brother  is  remote  ;  (2)  the  rights 
of  primogeniture  are  perhaps  not  yet  established ;  (3)  the  words  do 
not  express  a  right,  but  an  exercise  of  might  against  right  arising  in  a 
fallen  state  (Gen.  iii.  16)  ;  (4)  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth  is  not  wont 
to  guarantee  the  prerogatives  of  birth  to  one  who  is  in  positive  rebel- 
lion against  him,  but,  on  the  other  hand,  he  withdi-aws  them  from  the 
unworthy  to  confer  them  on  whom  he  will.  For  these  reasons  we  con- 
ceive this  exposition  is  to  be  rejected.  2d.  "  And  unto  thee  shall  be 
sin's  desire;  hut  thou  shalt  overcome  it."  But  (1)  the  parallelism 
between  the  two  members  of  the  sentence  is  here  neglected;  (-)  a 
different  meaning  is  assigned  to  the  words  here  and  in  Gen.  iii.  1 G ; 
(3)  the  connection  between  the  sentence  thus  explained  and  what  goes 
before  is  not  clear;  (4)  the  lesson  taught  is  not  obvious  ;  and  (5)  the 
assurance  given  is  not  fulfilled.  On  these  grounds  Ave  cannot  adopt 
this  explanation. 

The  above  address  of  the  Lord  to  Cain,  expressed  here  perhaps  only 
in  its  substance,  is  fraught  with  the  most  powerful  motives  that  can 
bear  on  the  mind  of  man.  It  holds  out  acceptance  to  the  wrong-doer, 
if  he  will  come  with  a  broken  heart  and  a  corresponding  expression 
of  repentance  before  God,  in  the  full  faith  that  he  can  and  will  secure 
the  ends  of  justice  so  that  he  can  have  mercy  on  the  penitent.  At  the 
same  time  it  points  out,  with  all  clearness  and  faithfulness  to  a  soul  yet 
unpractised  in  the  depths  of  iniquity,  the  insidious  nature  of  sin,  the 
proneness  of  a  selfish  heart  to  sin  with  a  high  hand,  the  tendency  of 
one  sinful  temper,  if  persisted  in,  to  engender  a  growing  habit  of  ag- 
gravated crime  which  ends  in  the  everlasting  destruction  of  the  soul. 
Nothing  more  than  this  can  be  done  by  argument  or  reason  for  the 


GEN.  IV.  1-16.  153 

•warning  of  a  wrong-doer.  From  the  montli  of  the  Almighty  these 
words  must  have  come  with  all  the  evidence  and  force  they  Avere  capa- 
ble of  receiving. 

8.  And  Cain  talked  with  Hahel  his  hrother.  Cain  did  not  act  on 
the  divine  counsel.  He  did  not  amend  his  offering  to  God,  either  in 
point  of  internal  feeling  or  external  form.  Though  one  speak  to  him 
from  heaven  he  will  not  hear.  He  conversed  with  Habel  his  brother. 
The  topic  is  not  stated.  The  Septuagint  supplies  the  words,  "  Let  us 
go  into  the  field."  If  in  walking  side  by  side  with  his  brother  he 
touched  upon  the  divine  communication,  the  conference  did  not  lead  to 
any  better  results.  If  the  divine  expostulation  failed,  much  more  the 
human.  Perhaps  it  only  increased  his  irritation.  When  they  were 
in  the  field,  and  therefore  out  of  view,  he  rose  up  against  his  brother 
and  slew  him.  The  deed  is  done  that  cannot  be  recalled.  The  mo- 
tives to  it  were  various.  Selfishness,  wounded  pride,  jealousy,  and  a 
guilty  conscience  were  all  at  work  (1  John  iii.  ]2).  Here,  then,  is  sin 
following  upon  sin,  proving  the  truth  of  the  warning  given  in  the 
merciful  forbearance  of  God. 

9.  Where  is  Hahel  thy  hrother  ?  The  interrogatory  here  reminds 
us  of  the  question  put  to  the  hiding  Adam,  "  "Where  art  thou  ?  "  It  is 
calculated  to  strike  the  conscience.  The  reply  is  different  from  that 
of  Adam.  The  sin  has  now  advanced  from  hasty,  incautious  yielding 
to  the  tempter,  to  reiterated  and  deliberate  disobedience.  Such  a  sin- 
ner must  take  different  ground.  Cain,  therefore,  attempts  to  parry  the 
question,  apparently  on  the  vain  supposition  that  no  eye,  not  even  that 
of  the  All-seeing,  was  present  to  witness  the  deed.  "  I  know  not." 
In  the  madness  of  his  confusion  he  goes  further.  He  disputes  the 
right  of  the  Almighty  to  make  the  demand.  "  Am  I  my  brother's 
keeper  ? "  There  is,  as  usual,  an  atom  of  truth  mingled  with  the 
amazing  falsehood  of  this  surly  response.  No  man  is  the  absolute 
keeper  of  his  brother,  so  as  to  be  responsible  for  his  safety  when  he  is 
not  present.  This  is  what  Cain  means  to  insinuate.  But  every  man 
is  his  brother's  keeper  so  far  that  he  is  not  himself  to  lay  the  hand  of 
violence  on  him,  nor  suffer  another  to  do  so  if  he  can  hinder  it.  This 
sort  of  keeping  the  Almighty  has  a  right  to  demand  of  every  one,  —  the 
first  part  of  it  on  the  ground  of  mere  justice,  the  second  on  that  of  love. 
But  Cain's  reply  betrays  a  desperate  resort  to  falsehood,  a  total  es- 
trangement of  feeling,  a  quenching  of  brotherly  love,  a  predominence 
of  that  selfishness  which  freezes  affection  and  kindles  hatred.  This  is 
the  way  of  Cain  (Jude  11). 

20 


154  CAIN  AOT)  ABEL. 

10.  What  hast  thou  done?  The  Lord  now  charges  him  with  his 
guilt  :  "  The  voice  of  thy  brother's  blood  crieth  unto  me  from  the 
soil."  In  the  providence  of  God  blood  has  a  voice  crying  to  him  to 
which  he  cannot  but  give  heed.  It  is  vain,  then,  to  attempt  conceal- 
ment. 

11,  12.  The  curse  (Gen.  ix.  25,  n.)  which  now  fell  on  Cain  was  in 
some  sense  retributive,  as  it  sprang  from  the  soil  which  had  received 
his  brother's  blood.  The  particulars  of  it  are  the  withdrawal  of  the 
full  strength  or  fruitfuluess  of  the  soil  from  him,  and  the  degradation 
from  the  state  of  a  settled  dweller  in  the  presence  of  God  to  that  of  a 
vagabond  in  the  earth.  lie  was  to  be  banished  to  a  less  productive 
part  of  the  earth,  removed  from  the  presence  of  God  and  the  society 
of  his  father  and  mother,  and  abandoned  to  a  life  of  wandering  and 
uncertainty.  The  sentence  of  death  had  been  already  pronounced 
upon  man. 

13,  14.  Mj/  iniquity  is  more  than  I  can  bear.  To  bear  iniquity  is  in 
Hebrew  phrase  to  undergo  the  punishment  of  it.  And  the  prospect  of 
this,  as  it  presents  itself  to  the  eyes  of  Cain,  is  so  appalling  that  he 
shrinks  from  it  as  intolerable.  To  be  driven  from  the  face  of  the  soil, 
inhabited  by  the  other  surviving  members  of  the  human  family,  to  an 
unknown  and  therefore  terrible  region  ;  to  be  hidden  from  the  face  of 
God,  who  manifested  himself  still  to  the  race  of  Adam  in  their  present 
abode ;  to  be  a  vagabond  and  a  fugitive  in  the  earth,  far  away  from 
the  land  of  his  birth  ;  and  to  be  liable  to  be  slain  in  just  revenge  by 
any  one  who  should  find  him, —  such  is  the  hard  fate  he  sees  before  him. 
It  is  dark  enough  in  itself,  and  no  doubt  darker  still  in  the  exaggera- 
tion which  an  accusing  conscience  conjures  up  to  his  imagination.  The 
phrase,  every  one  finding  me,  implies  that  the  family  of  Adam  had  now 
become  numerous.  Not  only  sons  and  daughters,  but  their  children 
and  grandchildren  may  have  been  growing  up  Avhen  Cain  was  sent 
into  exile.  But  in  his  present  terror  even  an  excited  fancy  suggested 
an  enemy  at  every  turn. 

15.  The  reply  of  the  Lord  is  fitted  to  quell  the  troubled  breast  of 
Cain.  Therefore.  Because  thy  feai's  of  what  thou  deservest  go  be- 
yond what  it  is  my  purpose  to  permit,  I  give  thee  assurance  of  freedom 
from  personal  violence.  To  be  avenged  seven-fold  is  to  be  avenged 
fully.  Cain  will  no  doubt  receive  even-handed  justice  from  the 
Almighty.  The  assurance  given  to  Cain  is  a  sign,  the  nature  of  which 
is  not  further  specified. 

This  passage  unfolds  to  us  a  mode  of  dealing  with  the  first  murderer 


GEN.  IV.  1-16.  155 

■svbicli  is  at  first  sight  somewhat  difficult  to  be  understood.  But  we  are 
to  bear  in  mind  that  the  sentence  of  death  had  been  ah-eady  pronounced 
upon  man,  and  therefore  stood  over  Adam  and  all  his  posterity,  Cain 
among  the  rest.  To  pronounce  the  same  sentence  therefore  upon  him 
for  a  new  crime,  would  have  been  weak  and  unmeaning.  Besides,  the 
great  crime  of  crimes  was  disobedience  to  the  divine  will ;  and  any 
particular  form  of  crime  added  to  that  was  comparatively  unimportant. 
Wrong  done  to  a  creature,  even  of  the  deepest  dye,  was  not  to  be  com- 
pared in  point  of  guilt  with  wrong  done  to  the  Creator.  The  grave 
element  in  the  criminality  of  every  social  wrong  is  its  practical  disre- 
gard of  the  authority  of  the  Most  High.  Moreover,  every  other  sin  to 
the  end  of  time  is  but  the  development  of  that  first  act  of  disobedience 
to  the  mandate  of  heaven  by  which  man  fell ;  and  accordingly  every 
penalty  is  summed  up  in  that  death  which  is  the  judicial  consequence 
of  the  first  act  of  rebellion  against  heaven. 

We  are  also  to  bear  in  mind  that  God  still  held  the  sword  of  justice 
in  his  own  immediate  hands,  and  had  not  delegated  his  authority  to 
any  human  tribunal.  No  man  was  therefore  clothed  with  any  right 
from  heaven  to  call  Cain  to  account  for  the  crime  he  had  committed. 
To  fall  upon  him  with  the  high  hand  in  a  wilful  act  of  jirivate  revenge, 
would  be  taking  the  law  into  one's  own  hands,  and  therefore  a  misde- 
meanor against  the  majesty  of  heaven,  which  the  Judge  of  all  could  not 
allow  to  pass  unpunished.  It  is  plain  that  no  man  has  an  inherent 
right  to  inflict  the  sanction  of  a  broken  law  on  the  transgi-essor.  This 
right  originally  belongs  to  the  Creator,  and  derivatively  only  to  those 
whom  he  has  intrusted  with  the  disjiensation  of  civil  government 
according  to  established  laws. 

Cain's  offences  were  great  and  aggravated.  But  let  us  not  exagger- 
ate them.  He  was  first  of  all  defective  in  the  character  of  his  faith 
and  the  form  of  his  sacrifice.  His  carnal  mind  came  out  still  more  in 
the  wrath  and  vexation  he  felt  when  his  defective  offering  was  not 
accepted.  Though  the  Almighty  condescends  now  to  plead  with  liim 
and  warn  him  against  persisting  in  impenitent  silence  and  discontent, 
lest  he  should  thereby  only  become  more  deeply  involved  in  sin,  he 
does  not  retreat,  but,  on  the  contrary,  proceeds  to  slay  his  brother,  in 
a  fit  of  jealousy  ;  and,  lastly,  he  rudely  and  falsely  denies  all  knowledge 
of  him,  and  all  obligation  to  be  his  protector.  Notwithstanding  all  this, 
it  is  still  to  be  remembered  that  the  sentence  of  death  from  heaven 
already  hung  over  him.  This  was  in  the  merciful  order  of  things 
comparatively  slow  of  execution  in  its  full  extent,  but  at  the  same  time 


156  CAIN  AND  ABEL. 

absolutely  certain  in  the  end.  The  aggravation  of  the  first  crime  of 
man  by  the  sins  of  self-will,  suUenness,  envy,  fratricide,  and  defiant 
falsehood,  was  but  the  natural  fruit  of  that  beginning  of  disobedience. 
It  is  accordingly  visited  by  additional  tokens  of  the  divine  displeasure, 
which  manifest  themselves  in  this  life,  and  are  mercifully  calculated  to 
warn  Cain  still  further  to  repent. 

Cain's  guilt  seems  now  to  have  been  brought  home  in  some  measure 
to  his  conscience  ;  and  he  not  only  stands  aghast  at  the  sentence  of  ban- 
ishment from  the  divine  presence,  but  instinctively  trembles,  lest,  upon 
the  principle  of  retributive  justice,  whoever  meets  him  may  smite  him 
to  the  death,  as  he  had  done  his  brother.  The  longsuffering  of  God, 
however,  interferes  to  prevent  such  a  catastrophe,  and  even  takes  steps 
to  relieve  the  trembling  culprit  from  the  apprehension  of  a  violent 
death.  This  leads  us  to  understand  that  God,  having  formed  a  pur- 
pose of  mercy  toward  the  human  family,  was  sedulously  bent  upon 
exercising  it  even  towards  the  murderer  of  a  brother.  Hence  he  does 
not  punish  his  repeated  crimes  by  immediate  death,  Avhich  would  have 
defeated  his  design  of  giving  him  a  long  day  of  grace  and  opportunity 
to  reflect,  repent,  return  to  God,  and  even  yet  offer  in  faith  a  typical 
atonement  by  blood  for  his  sin.  Thus  the  prohibition  to  slay  him  is 
sanctioned  by  a  seven-fold,  that  is,  an  ample  and  complete  vengeance, 
and  a  sign  of  protection  mercifully  vouchsafed  to  him.  The  whole 
dealing  of  the  Almighty  was  calculated  to  have  a  softening,  conscience- 
awakening,  and  hope-inspiring  effect  on  the  murderer's  heart. 

IG.  The  presence  of  the  Lord  seems  to  have  been  at  the  entrance  of 
the  garden  where  the  cherubim  were  stationed.  There,  probably,  the 
children  of  men  still  lingered  in  faith  and  hope  before  the  Lord,  whom 
they  still  regarded  as  their  Maker  and  merciful  Saviour.  They 
acknowledged  his  undeserved  goodness  in  the  form  of  sacrifice.  The 
retreat  of  Cain  from  the  scene  of  parental  affection,  of  home  associa- 
tions, and  of  divine  manifestation,  must  have  been  accompanied  with 
many  a  deep,  unuttered  pang  of  regret  and  remorse.  But  he  lias  deeply 
and  repeatedly  transgressed,  and  he  must  bear  the  consequence.  Such 
is  sin.  Many  a  similar  deed  of  cruelty  and  bloodshed  might  the  sacred 
writer  have  recorded  in  the  aftei'-history  of  man.  But  it  is  the  man- 
ner of  Scripture  to  note  the  first  example,  and  then  to  pass  over  in 
silence  its  subsequent  repetitions,  unless  when  a  particular  transaction 
has  an  important  bearing  on  the  ways  of  God  with  man. 


GEN.  IV.  17-24.  157 


XIX.    THE  LINE  OF  CAIN.  —  Gen.  iv.  17-24. 

17.  T\^ir^.  Chanok,  initiation,  instruction. 

18.  n^'S  '  Irad,  fleet  as  the  wild  ass,  citizen.  ^x;:'riB  Mechujael, 
smitten  of  El,  or  life  of  El.  bK^'Wa  Methushael,  man  of  El,  or  man 
ashed.     T(^h  Lemek,  ynan  of  prayer,  youth. 

19.  ry^'J  'Adah,  beauty,     r^s  Tsillah,  shade  or  tinhling. 

20.  ba^  Jabal,  stream,  leader  of  cattle,  produce,  the  xoalker  or  %oan- 
derer.  ^nx  pi.  D'^^nx  for  c'^^^.  tent,  awning,  covering  of  goats'  hair 
over  the  poles  or  timbers  which  constituted  the  original  booth,  nsp. 

21.  ba^!'^  Jubal,  player  on  an  instrument? 

22.  "j'^p-bam  Tubal-qain,  hrass-smith  ?  The  scion  or  son  of  the 
lance.     "T^?,?  Na'amah,  jpZeasa/i^,  lovely. 

17.  And  Cain  knew  his  wife :  and  she  conceived  and  bare 
Henok  :  and  he  was  building  a  city,  and  called  the  name  of 
the  city  after  the  name  of  his  son  Henok.  18.  And  unto 
Henok  was  born  Irad ;  and  Irad  begat  Mehujael ;  and  Melui- 
jael  begat  Methushael ;  and  Methushael  begat  Lamek.  19 
And  Lamek  took  unto  him  two  wives  :  the  name  of  the  one 
was  Adah,  and  the  name  of  the  second  Zillah.  20.  And  Adah 
bare  Jabal ;  he  was  the  father  of  such  as  dwell  in  tents  and 
have  cattle.  21.  And  the  name  of  his  brother  was  Jubal;  he 
was  the  father  of  all  that  handle  harp  and  pipe.  22.  And 
Zillah,  she  also  bare  Tubal-cain,  a  forger  of  every  tool  of  brass 
and  iron.  And  the  sister  of  Tubal-cain  was  Naamah.  23. 
And  Lamek  said  unto  his  wives : 

Adah  and  Zillah,  hear  my  voice, 

Wives  of  Lamek,  hearken  to  my  speech : 
For  a  man  have  I  slain  for  mywound, 

And  a  youth  for  my  hurt. 
24.  If  seven-fold  avenged  be  Cain, 

Then  Lamek  seventy  and  seven. 

Mankind  is  now  formally  divided  into  two  branches,  —  those  who 
still  abide  in  the   presence  of  God,  and   those  who  have  fled   to  a 


158  THE  LINE  OF  CAIN. 

distance  from  him.  Distinguisliing  names  will  soon  be  given  to  these 
according  to  their  outward  profession  and  practice  (Gen.  vi.  1).  The 
awful  distinction  according  to  the  inward  state  of  the  feelings  has  been 
already  given  in  the  terms,  the  seed  of  the  woman  and  the  seed  of  the 
serpent. 

17.  Cain  is  not  unaccompanied  in  his  banishment.  A  wife,  at  least, 
is  the  partner  of  his  exile.  And  soon  a  son  is  born  to  him.  He  was 
building  a  city  at  the  time  of  this  birth.  The  city  is  a  keep  or  fort, 
enclosed  with  a  wall  for  the  defence  of  all  who  dwell  within.  The 
building  of  the  city  is  the  erection  of  this  wall  or  barricade.  Here  we 
find  the  motive  of  fear  and  self-defence  still  ruling  Cain.  His  hand  has 
been  imbrued  iu  a  brother's  blood,  and  he  expects  every  man's  hand 
will  be  against  him. 

He  calls  his  son  Henok,  and  his  city  after  the  name  of  his  son.  The 
same  word  is  employed  as  a  name  in  the  lines  of  Seth  (Gen.  v.  18),  of 
Midian  (Gen.  xxv.  4),  and  of  Reuben  (Gen.  xlvi.  9).  It  signifies 
dedication  or  initiation,  and,  in  the  present  case,  seems  to  indicate  a 
new  beginning  of  social  existence,  or  a  consciousness  of  initiative  or 
inventive  power,  which  necessity  and  self-reliance  called  forth  particu- 
larly in  himself  and  his  family.  It  appears,  from  the  flocks  kept  by 
Habel,  the  fear  of  persons  meeting  and  slaying  the  murderer,  the  mar- 
riage and  family  of  Cain,  and  the  beginning  of  a  city,  that  a  consider- 
ble  time  had  elapsed  since  the  fall.  The  wife  of  Cain  was  of  necessity 
his  sister,  though  this  was  forbidden  in  after  times,  for  wise  and  holy 
reasons,  when  the  necessity  no  longer  existed. 

18.  The  names  in  this  verse  seem  to  denote,  respectively,  fleet  as  a 
wild  ass,  stricken  by  God,  man  of  prayer,  and  youth.  They  indicate 
a  mingling  of  thoughts  and  motives  in  men's  minds,  in  which  the  word 
ix  mighty  as  a  name  of  God  occurs.  This  name  is  a  common  noun, 
signifying  hero  or  potentate,  and  also  power  or  might,  and  is  trans- 
ferred to  God  as  the  Potentate,  or  Almighty  One.  It  is  distinguished 
from  B""!!'??!;  God,  since  they  are  put  in  apposition  (Jos.  xxii.  22) ; 
and  seems  to  be  properly  an  epithet  applied  to  God  by  way  of  preem- 
inence. The  denomination,  "  stricken  of  the  Mighty,"  is  a  recognition  of 
the  divine  power.  "  The  man  of  prayer,"  or  "  asking,"  may  also  have 
reference  to  an  act  of  worship.  Among  these  higher  thoughts  we  also 
find  a  value  put  upon  youth  and  physical  superiority,  as  the  fleetness 
of  the  wild  ass.  This  is  all  we  can  learn  from  these  imperfectly 
understood  names. 

I'J.  This  is  the  fir^t  record  and  probably  the  first  instance  of  polyg- 


GEN.  IV.  17-24. 


159 


amy.  The  names  of  the  two  wives,  Adah,  beauty,  and  Zillah,  shade  or 
tinUing,  seem  to  refer  to  the  charms  which  attracted  Lamek.  Super- 
abundance of  wealth  and  power  perhaps  led  Lamek  to  multiply  wives. 

20.  Here  is  the  first  notice  of  the  tent  and  of  cattle.  The  tent  was 
the  thin  shining  and  shading  canvas  of  goats'  hair,  which  was  placed 
over  the  poles  or  timbers  that  constituted  the  original  booth.  In 
process  of  time  it  would  supplant  the  branches  and  foliage  of  the  booth 
as  a  covering  from  the  sun  or  the  wind.  The  cattle  are  designated  by 
a  word  denoting  property,  as  being  chattels  personal,  and  consisting 
chiefly  of  sheep  and  oxen.  The  idea  of  property  had  now  been 
practically  realized.  The  Cainites  were  now  prosperous  and  numerous, 
and  therefore  released  from  that  suspicious  fear  which  originated  the 
fortified  keep  of  their  progenitor.  The  sons  of  Jabal  rove  over  the 
common  with  theii^  tents  and  cattle,  undismayed  by  imaginary  terrors. 

21.  Here  is  the  invention  of  musical  instruments  in  their  two  leading 
varieties,  the  harp  and  the  pipe.  This  implies  the  previous  taste  for 
music  and  song.  It  seems  not  unlikely  that  Zillah,  the  mother  of 
Jubal,  was  a  daughter  of  song.  The  fine  arts  follow  in  the  train  of 
the  useful.  All  this  indicates  the  easy  circumstances  in  which  the 
Cainites  now  found  themselves. 

22.  The  three  names  Jabal,  Jubal,  and  Tubal  are  formed  from  a 
root  signifying  to  flow,  run,  go  forth,  perhaps  hloio,  from  which  comes 
^ni"^,  the  blast  or  trumpet-note  of  joy  and  release.  Accordingly  all 
sorts  of  going  forth,  that  were  suitable  to  the  life  of  a  nomad,  seem  to 
have  distinguished  this  family.  The  addition  of  Cain  to  the  name  of 
Tubal  may  have  been  a  memorial  of  his  ancestor,  or  an  indication  of 
his  pursuit.  Tubal  of  the  spear  or  lance  may  have  been  his  familiar 
designation.  The  making  of  tents  implies  some  skiU  in  carpentry,  and 
also  in  spinning  and  weaving.  The  working  in  brass  and  iron  fur- 
nishes implements  for  war,  hunting,  or  husbandry.  The  construction 
of  musical  instruments  shows  considerable  refinement  in  carving  and 
moulding  wood.  Naamah,  the  lovely,  seems  to  be  mentioned  on 
account  of  her  personal  charms. 

2.3,  24.  In  this  fragment  of  ancient  song,  we  have  Lamek,  under  the 
strong  excitement  of  having  slain  a  man  in  self-defence,  reciting  to  his 
wives  the  deed,  and  at  the  same  time  comforting  them  and  himself 
with  the  assurance  that  if  Cain  the  murderer  would  be  avenegd  seven- 
fold, he  the  manslayer  in  self-defence  would  be  avenged  seventy  and 
seven  fold.  This  short  ode  has  all  the  characteristics  of  the  most  perfect 
Hebrew  poetry.     Every  pair  of  lines  is  a  specimen  of  the  Hebrew 


160  THE  LINE  OE  CAIN. 

parallelism  or  rhythm  of  sentiment  and  style.  They  all  belong  to  the 
synthetic,  synonymous,  or  cognate  parallel,  the  second  member  reiter- 
ating with  emphasis  the  first.  Here  we  observe  that  Lamek  was  a 
poet ;  one  of  his  wives  was  probably  a  songstress,  and  the  other  had  a 
taste  for  ornament.  One  daughter  was  the  lovely,  and  three  sons  were 
the  inventors  of  most  of  the  arts  which  sustain  and  embellish  life.  This 
completes  the  picture  of  this  remarkable  family. 

It  has  been  noticed  that  the  inventive  powers  were  more  largely  de- 
veloped in  the  line  of  Cain  than  in  that  of  Sheth.  And  it  has  been 
suggested  that  the  worldly  character  of  the  Cainites  accounts  for  this. 
The  Shethites  contemplated  the  higher  things  of  God,  and  therefore 
paid  less  attention  to  the  practical  arts  of  life.  The  Cainites,  on  the 
other  hand,  had  not  God  in  their  thoughts,  and  therefore  gave  the  more 
heed  to  the  requisites  and  comforts  of  the  present  life. 

But  besides  this  the  Cainites,  j)enetrating  into  the  unknown  tracts 
of  this  vast  common,  were  compelled  by  circumstances  to  turn  their 
thoughts  to  the  invention  of  the  arts  by  which  the  hardships  of  their 
condition  might  be  abated.  And  as  soon  as  they  had  conquered  the 
chief  difficulties  of  their  new  situation,  the  habits  of  industry  and  men- 
tal activity  which  they  had  acquired  were  turned  to  the  embellish- 
ments of  life. 

We  have  no  grounds,  however,  for  concluding  that  the  descendants 
of  Cain  were  as  yet  entirely  and  exclusively  ungodly  on  the  one  hand, 
or  on  the  other  that  the  descendants  of  Sheth  were  altogether  desti- 
tute of  inventive  genius  or  inattentive  to  its  cultivation.  With  the 
exception  of  the  assault  that  seemed  to  have  provoked  the  homicidal 
act  of  Lamek,  and  the  bigamy  of  Lamek  himself,  we  find  not  much  to 
condemn  in  the  recorded  conduct  of  the  race  of  Cain  ;  and  in  the  names 
of  some  of  them  we  discover  the  remembrance  and  recognition  of  God. 
Ilabel  had  a  keeper  of  cattle  before  Jabal.  The  Cainites  were  also 
an  older  race  than  the  Shethites.  And  when  Noah  was  commissioned 
to  build  the  ark,  we  have  no  reason  to  doubt  that  he  was  qualified  in 
some  measure  by  natural  ability  and  previous  training  for  such  a  task. 

The  line  of  Cain  is  traced  no  further  than  the  seventh  generation 
from  Adam.  We  cannot  tell  whether  there  were  any  more  in  that 
line  before  the  flood.  The  design  of  tracing  it  thus  far,  is  to  point  out 
the  origin  of  the  arts  of  life,  and  the  first  instances  of  bigamy  and 
homicide  in  self-defence. 


GEN.  IV.  25,  26.  161 


XX.    SHETH.  —  Gen.  iv.  25. 26. 

25.  trq  Sheth,  placed,  put. 

26.  TUi'sx  Enosb,  man,  sickly,  nda  x'np  means,  1st,  to  call  an  ob- 
ject by  its  name  (Is.  xl.  26,  xliii.  1,  xlv.  3,  4) ;  2d,  to  call  an  object  bj 
tlie  name  of  another,  who  is  the  parent,  leader,  husband,  owner  (Num. 
xxxii.  42  ;  Judg.  xviii.  29  ;  Ps.  xlix.  12  ;  Is.  xliii.  7,  xliv.  5,  xlviii. 
1;  Ixv.  1);  3d,  to  proclaim  the  name  of  (Ex.  xxxiii.  19,  xxxv.  5, 
6)  ;  4th,  to  call  upon  the  name  of  God,  to  address  him  by  his  proper 
name  with  an  audible  voice  in  the  form  of  prayer.  This  is  the  most 
common  meaning  of  the  phrase.  In  this  sense  it  is  followed  by  Jeho- 
vah as  the  proper  name  of  the  true  God  among  the  Hebrews.  It  is 
not  to  be  forgotten  that  names  were  stiU  significant,  at  this  early  period. 

25.  And  Adam  knew  again  his  wife  ;  and  she  bare  a  son, 
and  called  his  name  Sheth.  For  God  hath  given  me  another 
seed  instead  of  Habel,  whom  Cain  slew.  26,  And  to  Sheth 
himself  also  was  born  a  son  ;  and  he  called  his  name  Enosh. 
Then  was  it  begun  to  call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord.     §  4. 

This  passage  completes  the  account  of  Adam's  family.  Henceforth 
we  generally  meet  with  two  parallel  lines  of  narrative,  as  the  human 
family  is  divided  into  two  great  branches,  with  opposing  interests  and 
tendencies.  The  main  line  refers  to  the  remnant  of  the  race  that  are 
on  terms  of  open  reconciliation  with  God  ;  Avhile  a  collateral  line  notes 
as  far  as  necessary  the  state  of  those  who  have  departed  from  the 
knowledge  and  love  of  the  true  God. 

25.  The  narrative  here  reverts  to  a  point  subsequent  to  the  death 
of  Habel,  when  another  son  is  born  to  Adam,  whom  his  mother  Eve 
regards  as  a  substitute  for  Habel,  and  names  Sheth  in  allusion  to  that 
circumstance.  She  is  in  a  sadder,  humbler  frame  than  when  she 
named  her  first-born,  and  therefore  does  not  employ  the  personal  name 
of  the  Lord.  Yet  her  heart  is  not  so  much  downcast  as  when  she 
called  her  second  son  a  breath.  Her  faith  in  God  is  sedate  and  pen- 
sive, and  hence  she  uses  the  more  distant  and  general  term  Elohim, 
God. 

Yet  there  is  a  peculiar  significance  in  the  form  of  expression  she 
21 


1G2  SHETH. 

employs.  For  God  liatli  given  me  another  seed  instead  of  Habel.  He 
is  to  be  instead  of  Habel,  and  God-fearing  like  Habel.  Far  above  this 
consideration,  God  hath  given  him.  This  son  is  from  God.  She 
regards  him  as  God's  son.  She  receives  tliis  gift  from  God,  and  in 
faith  expects  him  to  be  the  seed  of  God,  the  parent  of  a  godly  race. 
Her  faith  was  not  disappointed.  His  descendants  earn  the  name  of 
the  sons  of  God.  As  the  ungodly  are  called  the  seed  of  the  serpent, 
because  they  are  of  his  spirit,  so  the  godly  are  designated  the  seed  of 
God,  because  they  are  of  God's  Spirit.  The  Spirit  of  God  strives  and 
rules  in  them,  and  so  they  are,  in  the  graphic  language  of  Scripture, 
the  sons  of  God  (Gen.  vi.  1). 

26.  A  son  is  born  to  Sheth  also,  whom  he  calls  Enosh.  In  this 
name  there  is  probably  an  allusion  to  the  meaning  of  sickliness  and 
dependence  which  belongs  to  the  root.  These  qualities  wei'e  now 
found  to  be  characteristic  of  man  in  his  present  state. 

The  closing  sentence  signalizes  a  remarkable  event,  which  took 
place  at  the  birth  of  Enosh,  about  tAvo  hundred  and  forty  years  after 
the  creation  of  Adam.  Then  was  it  begun  to  call  upon  the  name  of 
the  Lord.  The  solemn  invocation  of  God  by  his  proper  name  in  audi- 
ble and  social  prayer  and  praise  is  the  most  usual  meaning  of  the 
phrase  now  before  us,  and  is  to  be  adopted  unless  there  be  something 
in  the  context  or  the  circumstances  demanding  another  meaning.  This 
involves  also  the  first  of  the  meanings  given  above,  as  we  call  God  by 
his  name  in  oral  worship.  It  includes  the  third  in  one  of  its  forms,  as 
in  praise  we  proclaim  the  name  of  our  God.  And  it  leads  to  the  sec- 
ond, as  those  who  call  on  the  name  of  the  Lord  are  themselves  called 
the  children  of  God. 

Some  change  is  here  intimated  in  the  mode  of  approaching  God  in 
worship.  The  gist  of  the  sentence,  however,  does  not  lie  in  the  name 
Jehovah.  For  this  term  was  not  then  new  in  itself,  as  it  was  used  by 
Eve  at  the  birth  of  Cain ;  nor  was  it  new  in  this  connection,  as  the 
phrase  now  appears  for  the  first  time,  and  Jehovah  is  the  ordinary 
term  employed  in  it  ever  afterwards  to  denote  the  true  God.  As  a 
proper  name,  Jehovah  is  the  fit  and  customary  word  to  enter  into  a 
solemn  invocation.  It  is,  as  we  have  seen,  highly  significant.  It 
speaks  of  the  Self-existent,  the  Author  of  all  existing  things,  and  in 
particular  of  man  ;  the  Self-manifest,  who  has  shown  himself  merciful 
and  gracious  to  the  returning  penitent,  and  with  him  keeps  promise 
and  covenant.  Hence  it  is  the  custom  itself  of  calling  on  the  name  of 
Jehovah,  of  addressing  God  by  his  proper  name,  which  is  here  said  to 
have  been  commenced. 


GEN.  IV.  25-26.  163 

At  first  sight,  with  our  habits  and  associations,  it  seems  a  very 
strange  thing  that  calling  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord  should  only  begin 
two  hundred  and  forty  years  after  the  creation  of  man.  But  let  us 
endeavor  to  divest  ourselves  of  these  limitations,  and  rise  to  the  prime- 
val simplicity  of  man's  thoughts  in  regard  to  God.  "We  read  of  God 
speaking  to  man  in  paradise,  but  not  of  man  speaking  to  God.  In  the 
examination  that  preceded  the  sentence  passed  upon  the  transgressors, 
we  hear  Adam  and  Eve  replying  to  the  questions  of  God,  but  not 
venturing  to  open  a  conversation  with  the  Most  High.  If  the  feeling 
of  reverence  and  solemn  awe  did  not  permit  such  a  liberty  before  the 
fall,  much  more  would  the  superadded  sense  of  guilt  after  that  event 
restrain  man  from  making  any  advances  toward  the  infinitely  holy 
Being  whom  he  had  so  wantonly  offended.  The  rebuking  examina- 
tion, the  judicial  sentence,  and  the  necessary  execution  of  this  sentence 
in  its  preliminary  form,  were  so  prominent  and  impressive  as  to  throw 
into  the  background  any  intimations  of  the  divine  mercy  with  which 
they  were  accompanied.  The  latter,  however,  were  not  unnoticed,  or 
without  a  salutary  eifect  on  the  primeval  pair.  Adam  helievecl  the  in- 
dications of  mercy,  whether  in  word  or  deed,  which  God  gave  Mm. 
Faith  was  prompt  and  natural  in  that  early  stage  of  comparative  near- 
ness to  God,  to  his  manifest  presence  and  his  conspicuous  wonders  of 
creative  power.  It  was  also  a  native  tendency  of  the  human  breast, 
and  would  be  so  still,  had  we  not  become  so  sophisticated  by  education 
that  doubt  has  come  to  be  the  prominent  attitude  of  our  minds.  This 
faith  of  the  first  pair  led  to  confession  ;  not  directly,  however,  to  God, 
but  indirectly  in  the  names  Adam  gave  liis  wife,  and  Eve  her  first-born 
son.  Here  humble,  distant,  self-condemning  faith  solilloquizes,  or,  at 
most,  the  penitent  pair  converse  in  humble  hope  about  the  mercy  of 
the  Most  High. 

The  bringing  of  an  offering  to  God  was  a  step  in  advance  of  this 
penitent,  humble,  submissive,  self-accusing  faith.  It  was  the  exact 
counterpart  and  representation  by  a  well-devised  symbol  of  the  nature 
of  the  offerer's  faith.  It  was  therefore  a  confession  of  faith  and  cer- 
tain accompanying  feelings  towards  God  by  a  symbolic  act.  It  was 
quite  natural  that  this  mute  sign  should  precede  the  actual  address. 
The  consequences,  however,  of  the  approach  of  Cain  and  Habel  were 
calculated  to  deepen  again  the  feeling  of  dread,  and  to  strike  the  on- 
looker dumb  in  the  presence  of  the  High  and  Holy  One.  Still  would 
this  be  so  in  that  infantile  state  of  man  when  one  thought  would  take 
full  possession  of  the   soul,  until  another  was  plainly  and  directly 


164  SHETH. 

brought  before  the  attention.  In  this  simple,  unsophisticated  state  of 
the  penitent,  we  can  conceive  him  to  resign  himself  passively  to  the 
merciful  will  of  that  Maker  whom  he  has  grievously  ofienclecl,  without 
venturing  to  breathe  a  wish  or  even  to  lift  up  a  note  of  thanksgiving. 
Such  mute  acquiescence  in  the  divine  will  for  two  hundred  and  forty 
years  was  well-befitting  the  humble  penitents  of  that  infantile  age, 
standing  in  solemn  awe  under  a  sense  of  their  own  demerit  and  of  the 
infinite  holiness  of  the  Majesty  on  high.  There  were  even  an  eloquent 
pathos  and  power  in  that  tacit  reverence  fitted  to  move  the  heart  of 
the  All-searching  Spirit  more  than  ten  thousand  voices  less  deeply  pen- 
etrated with  a  sense  of  the  guilt  of  sin  and  the  beauty  of  holiness. 

At  length,  however,  Sheth  was  given  to  Eve,  and  accepted  by  her  as 
a  substitute  for  Habel,  Enosh,  the  child  of  sorrow,  was  born  to  him. 
Collateral  with  this  line  of  descent,  and  all  the  anxieties  and  wants 
which  it  involved,  was  the  growth  of  a  class  of  men  who  were  of  the 
spirit  of  Cain,  and  receded  further  and  further  from  God.  In  these 
circumstances  of  growing  iniquity  on  the  one  hand,  and  growing  faith 
on  the  other,  believing  reason  comes  to  conceive  the  full  import  of  the 
mercy  of  God,  freely  and  fully  accepts  of  pardon,  and  realizes  the 
peace  and  privilege  which  it  bestows.  Growing  man  now  compre- 
hends all  that  is  implied  in  the  proper  name  of  God,  Jehovah,  the  au- 
thor of  being,  of  promise,  and  of  performance.  He  finds  a  tongue,  and 
Tentures  to  express  the  desires  and  feelings  that  have  been  long  pent 
up  in  his  breast,  and  are  now  bursting  for  utterance.  These  petitions 
and  confessions  are  now  made  in  an  audible  voice,  and  with  a  holy 
urgency  and  courage  rising  above  the  depressing  sense  of  self-abase- 
ment to  the  confidence  of  peace  and  gratitude.  These  adorations  are 
also  presented  in  a  social  capacity,  and  thereby  acquire  a  public  noto- 
riety. The  father,  the  elder  of  the  house,  is  the  master  of  words,  and 
he  becomes  the  spokesman  of  the  brotherhood  in  this  new  relationship 
into  which  they  have  spontaneously  entered  with  their  Father  in 
'heaven.  The  spirit  of  adoption  has  prompted  the  confiding  and  en- 
dearing terms,  Ahha,  Father,  and  now  the  winged  words  ascend  to 
'heaven,  conveying  the  adorations  and  aspirations  of  the  assembled 
saints.  The  new  form  of  worship  attracts  the  attention  of  the  early 
world,  and  tlie  record  is  made,  "  Then  began  they  to  call  upon  the 
name  of  the  Lord,"  that  keepeth  covenant  and  mercy. 

Here  we  perceive  that  the  holy  race  has  passed  beyond  its  infancy. 
It  has  learned  to  speak  Avith  God  in  the  language  of  faith,  of  conscious 
^acceptance,  of  freedom,  of  hope,  of  love.     This  is  a  far  nobler  attain- 


GEN.  IV.  25-26.  (165 

ment  than  the  invention  of  all  the  arts  of  life.  It  is  the  return  from 
that  revulsive  dread  with  which  the  conscious  sinner  shrank  back  from 
the  felt  holiness  of  God.  It  is  the  drawing  of  the  divine  mercy  and 
love  let  into  the  penitent  soul,  by  which  it  has  come  to  itself,  and  taken 
courage  to  return  to  the  merciful  Jehovah,  and  speak  to  him  the  lan- 
guage of  penitence,  of  confession,  of  gratitude.  These  believing  peni- 
tents, chiefly  it  is  to  be  supposed  in  the  line  of  Sheth,  of  which  this 
paragraph  speaks,  began  to  be  distinguished  as  the  followers  of  the 
Lord ;  whereas  others  at  the  same  time  had  forgotten  the  Lord,  and 
renounced  even  the  form  of  reverence  for  him.  The  seed  of  the  wo- 
man was  now  distinguished  from  the  seed  of  the  serpent.  The  latter 
are  in  a  spiritual  sense  called  the  seed  of  the  serpent,  because  they 
cling  to  the  principles  of  the  tempter ;  and  the  former  may  in  the  same 
sense  be  designated  the  seed  or  sons  of  God,  because  they  follow  after 
him  as  the  God  of  mercy  and  truth.  Thus  the  lamentable  fact  ob- 
trudes itself  upon  our  view  that  a  portion  of  the  human  family  have 
persisted  in  the  primeval  apostasy,  and  are  no  longer  associated  with 
their  fellows  in  acknowledging  their  common  Maker. 

The  progress  of  moral  evil  in  the  antediluvian  world  was  manifested 
in  fratricide,  in  going  out  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord,  in  personal 
violence,  and  in  polygamy.  The  first  is  the  normal  character  of  all 
murder ;  the  second  gave  scope  for  the  third,  the  daring  and  presump- 
tuous violence  of  the  strong  ;  and  the  fourth  ultimately  led  to  an  almost 
total  corruption  of  manners.  It  is  curious  to  observe  that  ungodliness, 
in  the  form  of  disobedience  and  departure  from  God  and  therefore  of 
the  practical  breach  of  the  first  commandment,  and  unrighteousness  in 
the  form  of  murder,  the  crime  of  masterful  passion  and  violence,  which 
is  the  transgression  of  the  first  commandment  concerning  our  neigh- 
bor, are  the  starting-points  of  sin  in  the  world.  They  do  not  seem 
to  have  yet  reached  idolatry  and  adultery.  This  appears  to  point 
out  that  the  prohibitions  into  which  the  law  is  developed  in  the  ten 
commandments  are  arranged  in  the  order  of  time  as  well  as  of  nature. 

The  preceding  chapters,  if  written  in  substance  by  Adam,  formed 
the  primeval  Bible  of  mankind.  But,  whether  written  at  that  time  or 
not,  they  contain  the  leading  facts  which  occurred  in  the  early  history 
of  man  in  relation  to  his  Maker.  These  facts  were  well  known  to  the 
antediluvian  world,  and  formed  the  rule  by  which  it  was  to  be  guided 
in  approaching  to  God,  presenting  to  him  an  acceptable  offering,  calling 
upon  his  name,  and  so  walking  with  him  in  peace  and  love.  Here  we 
have  all  the  needful  germs  of  a  gospel  for  the  infantile  race.     If  we 


166  SHETH. 

ask  why  they  were  not  effectual,  the  answer  is  at  hand.  They  were 
effectual  with  a  few,  and  are  thereby  proved  sufficient  to  recover  man 
from  sin,  and  vindicate  the  mercy  of  God.  But  the  All-wise  Being, 
who  made  man  a  moral  agent,  must  thoroughly  guard  his  freedom, 
even  in  the  dealings  of  mercy.  And  in  the  folly  and  madness  of  their 
self-will,  some  will  revolt  more  and  more.  The  history  was  written 
for  our  learning.  Let  its  lessons  be  pondered.  Let  the  accumulated 
experience  of  bygone  wanderings  recorded  in  the  book  of  God  be  our 
warning,  to  return  at  length  with  our  whole  heart  to  our  merciful 
Father. 


SECTION  y.  — THE  LINE  TO  NOAH. 


XXI.    THE  LINE  OF  SHETH.  —  Gen.  v. 

1.  "ISG  writing,  a  writing,  a  hook. 
9.  "fi-^p^  Qenan,  2}ossessor,  or  spearsman. 
12.  b  X  b  ^  r*  ^  Malialalel,  praise  of  El. 
15.  nn;;  Jered,  going  down. 
21.  nbr^r-a  Methushelach,  man  of  the  missile. 

29.  tis  iSToach,  rest,  cn3  sigh;  repent;  pity ;  comfort  oneself ;  he  re- 
venged. 

S2.  'D^Shem,  na7ne,  fame  ;  r.  he  high,  un  Cham,  hot.  nsi_  Japheth, 
spreading  ;  r.  spread  out. 

V.  1.  This  is  the  book  of  the  generations  of  man.  In  the 
day  that  God  created  man,  in  the  likeness  of  God  made  he 
him.  2.  Male  and  female  created  he  them  ;  and  blessed  them, 
and  called  their  name  man,  in  the  day  of  their  being  created. 
3.  And  Adam  lived  thirty  and  a  hundred  years,  and  begat  (a 
son)  in  his  likeness,  after  his  image  ;  and  he  called  his  name 
Sheth.  4.  And  the  days  of  Adam,  after  he  begat  Sheth,  were 
eight  hundred  years  ;  and  he  begat  sons  and  daughters.  5. 
And  all  the  days  of  Adam  that  he  lived  were  nine  hundred  and 
thirty  years  ;  and  he  died. 

6.  And  Sheth  lived  five  and  a  hundred  years,  and  begat 
Enosh.  7.  And  Sheth  lived,  after  he  begat  Enosh,  seven  and 
eight  hundred  years,  and  begat  sons  and  daughters.  8.  And 
all  the  days  of  Sheth  were  twelve  and  nine  hundred  years ;  and 
he  died.  §  6. 

9.  And  Enosh  lived  ninety  years,  and  begat  Kenan.  10. 
And  Enosh  lived,  after  he  begat  Kenan,  fifteen  and  eight  hun- 


168  LINE  TO  NOAH. 

dred  years,  and  begat  sons  and  daughters.  11.  And  all  the 
days  of  Enosh  were  live  and  nine  hundred  years ;  and  he 
died.  §  7. 

12.  And  Kenan  lived  seventy  years,  and  begat  Mahalalel.  13. 
And  Kenan  lived,  after  he  begat  Mahalalel,  forty  and  eight 
hundred  years,  and  begat  sons  and  daughters.  14.  And  all 
the  days  of  Kenan  were  ten  and  nine  hundred  years;  and  he 
died.  §  8. 

15.  And  Mahalalel  lived  five  and  sixty  years  and  begat 
Jared.  16.  And  Mahalalel  lived,  after  he  begat  Jared,  thirty 
and  eight  hundred  years,  and  begat  sons  and  daughters.  17. 
And  all  the  days  of  Mahalalel  were  five  and  ninety  and  eight 
hundred  years  ;  and  he  died.  §  9. 

18.  And  Jared  lived  two  and  sixty  and  a  hundred  years, 
and  begat  Henok.  19.  And  Jared  lived,  after  he  begat  Henok, 
eight  hundred  years,  and  begat  sons  and  daughters.  20,  And 
all  the  days  of  Jared  were  two  and  sixty  and  nine  hundred 
years  ;  and  he  died.  §  10. 

21.  And  Henok  lived  five  and  sixty  years,  and  begat  Methu- 
shelah.  22.  And  Henok  walked  with  the  God,  after  he  begat 
Methushelah,  three  hundred  years,  and  begat  sons  and  daugh- 
ters. 23.  And  all  the  days  of  Henok  were  five  and  sixty  and 
three  hundred  years.  24.  And  Henok  walked  with  the  God  ; 
and  he  was  not,  for  God  took  him.  §  11. 

25.  And  Methushelah  lived  seven  and  eighty  and  a  hundred 
years,  and  begat  Lamek.  26.  And  Methushelah  lived,  after  he 
begat  Lamek,  two  and  eighty  and  seven  hundred  years,  and 
begat  sons  and  daughters.  27.  And  all  the  days  of  Methu- 
shelah were  nine  and  sixty  and  nine  hundred  years  ;  and  he 
died.  §  12. 

28.  And  Lamek  lived  two  and  eighty  and  a  hundred  years, 
and  begat  a  son.  29.  And  he  called  his  name  Noah  ;  saying  : 
This  shall  comfort  us  in  our  work  and  the  toil  of  our  hands, 
from  the  soil  which  the  Lord  hath  cursed.     30.  And  Lamek 


GEN.  V.  169 

lived,  after  lie  begat  Noah,  five  and  ninety  and  five  liundred 
years,  and  begat  sons  and  daughters.  31.  And  all  the  days 
of  Lamek  were  seveii  and  seventy  and  seven  hundred  years  ; 
and  he  died.  §  13. 

32.  And  Noah  was  the  son  of  five  hundred  years  ;  and  Noah 
begat  Shem,  Ham,  and  Japheth. 

We  now  enter  upon  the  third  of  the  larger  documents  contained  in 
Genesis.  The  first  is  a  diary,  the  second  is  a  history,  the  third  a 
genealogy.  The  first  employs  the  name  Elohim  exclusively  ;  the  sec- 
ond uses  Jehovah  Elohim  in  the  second  and  third  chapters,  and  Jeho- 
vah usually  in  the  fourth ;  the  third  has  Elohim  in  the  first  part,  and 
Jehovah  in  the  second  part.  The  name  Elohim  is  employed  in  the 
beginning  of  the  chapter  with  a  manifest  reference  to  the  first  docu- 
ment, Avhich  is  here  quoted  and  abridged. 

This  chapter  contains  the  line  from  Adam  to  Noah,  in  which  are 
stated  some  common  particulars  concerning  all,  and  certain  special 
details  concerning  three  of  them.  The  genealogy  is  traced  to  the 
tenth  in  descent  from  Adam,  and  terminates  with  the  flood.  The 
scope  of  the  chapter  is  to  mark  out  the  line  of  faith  and  hope  and 
holiness  from  Adam,  the  first  head  of  the  human  race,  to  Noah,  who 
became  eventually  the  second  natural  head  of  it. 

1,  2.  These  verses  are  a  recapitulation  of  the  creation  of  man.  The 
first  sentence  is  the  superscription  of  the  new  piece  of  composition 
now  before  us.  The  heading  of  the  second  document  was  more  com- 
prehensive. It  embraced  the  generations,  evolutions,  or  outworkings  of 
the  skies  and  the  land,  as  soon  as  they  were  called  into  existence,  and 
was  accordingly  dated  from  the  third  day.  The  present  document 
confines  itself  to  the  generations  of  man,  and  commences,  therefore, 
with  the  sixth  day.  The  generations  here  are  literal  for  the  most 
part,  though  a  few  particulars  of  the  individuals  mentioned  are  re- 
corded. But  taken  in  a  large  sense  this  superscription  will  cover  the 
whole  of  the  history  in  the  Old  and  New  Testaments.  It  is  only  in  the 
prophetic  parts  of  these  books  that  we  reach  again  in  the  end  of  things 
to  the  wider  compass  of  the  heavens  and  the  earth  (Isa.  Ixv.  17 ; 
2  Pet.  iii.  13;  Rev.  xxi.  1).  Then  only  does  the  sphere  of  history 
enlarge  itself  to  the  pristine  dimensions  in  the  proper  and  blessed 
sense,  when  the  second  Adam  appears  on  earth,  and  re-connects 
heaven  and  earth  in  a  new,  holy,  and  everlasting  covenant. 
22 


no  LINE  TO  NOAH. 

The  present  superscription  differs  from  the  former  one  in  the  intro- 
cluction  of  the  word  ^sa  hook.  There  is  here  some  ground  in  the  text 
for  supposing  the  insertion  by  Moses  of  nn  authentic  document,  handed 
down  from  the  olden  time,  in  the  great  work  which  he  was  directed  to 
compose.  The  chapter  before  us  could  not  have  been  completed,  in- 
deed, till  after  the  birth  of  Shem,  Ham,  and  Japheth.  But  if  we 
except  the  last  verse,  there  is  no  impossibility  or  improbability  in  its 
being  composed  before  the  deluge. 

The  invention  of  writing  at  that  early  period  is  favored  by  some 
other  circumstances  connected  with  these  records.  We  cannot  say 
that  it  is  impossible  for  oral  tradition  to  preserve  the  memory  of 
minute  transactions,  —  sayings,  songs,  names,  and  numbers  of  years  up 
to  a  thousand,  —  especially  in  a  period  when  men's  lives  exceeded  nine 
hundred  years.  But  we  can  easily  see  that  these  details  could  be  much 
more  easily  handed  down  if  there  was  any  method  of  notation  for  the 
help  of  the  memory.  The  minute  records  of  this  kind,  therefore, 
which  we  find  in  these  early  chapters,  though  not  very  numerous, 
afford  a  certain  presumption  in  favor  of  a  very  early  knowledge  of  the 
art  of  writing. 

2.  And  called  their  name  man.  This  name  seems  to  connect  man 
(dIX)  with  the  soil  from  which  he  was  taken  (ina^'ix  Gen.  ii.  7).  It  is 
evidently  a  generic  or  collective  term,  denoting  the  species.  God,  as 
the  maker,  names  the  race,  and  thereby  marks  its  character  and  purpose. 

3-5.  In  the  compass  of  these  three  vei'ses  the  coui'se  of  Adam's  life 
is  completed.  And  after  the  same  model  the  lines  of  all  his  lineal 
descendants  in  this  chapter  are  drawn  up.  The  certain  particulars 
stated  are  the  years  he  lived  before  the  birth  of  a  certain  son,  the 
number  of  years  he  afterwards  lived  during  which  sons  and  daughters 
were  born  to  him,  and  his  death.  Two  sons,  and  most  probably  sev- 
eral daughters,  were  born  to  Adam  before  the  birth  of  Sheth.  But 
these  sons  have  been  already  noticed,  and  the  line  of  Noah  is  here 
given.  It  is  obvious,  therefore,  that  the  following  individuals  in  the 
genealogy  may,  or  may  not,  have  been  first-born  sons.  The  stated 
formula,  and  he  died,  at  the  close  of  each  life  except  that  of  Ilenok,  is 
a  standing  demonstration  of  the  effect  of  disobedience. 

The  writer,  according  to  custom,  completes  the  life  of  one  patriarch 
before  he  commences  that  of  the  next ;  and  so  the  first  event  of  the 
following  biography  is  long  antecedent  to  the  last  event  of  the  preced- 
ing one.  This  simply  and  cleai-ly  illustrates  the  law  of  Hebrew- 
narrative. 


GEN.  V.  171 

The  only  peculiarity  in  the  life  of  Adam  is  the  statement  that  his 
son  was  in  his  likeness,  after  his  image.  This  is  no  doubt  intended  to 
include  that  depravity  which  had  become  the  characteristic  of  fallen 
man.  It  is  contrasted  with  the  pi-eceding  notice  that  Adam  was  origi- 
nally created  in  the  image  of  God.  If  it  had  been  intended  mei'ely  to 
indicate  that  the  off-pring  was  of  the  same  species  with  the  parent,  the 
phrase,  affer  his  kind  (siJiS'^r^),  would  have  been  employed,  as  in  the 
first  chapter.  This  is  one  of  the  mysteries  of  the  race,  when  the  head 
of  it  is  a  moral  being,  and  has  fallen.  His  moral  depravity,  affecting 
the  essential  difference  of  his  nature,  descends  to  his  offspring. 

As  this  document  alludes  to  the  first  in  the  words,  zn  the  day  of  God's 
creating  man,  in  the  likeness  of  God  made  he  him,  quotes  its  very 
words  in  the  sentence,  male  and  female  created  he  them,  refers  to  the 
second  in  the  words,  and  called  their  name  man  (Gen.  ii.  7),  and  also 
needs  this  second  for  the  explication  of  the  statement  that  the  offspring 
of  man  bore  his  likeness,  it  presupposes  the  existence  and  knowledge 
of  these  documents  at  the  time  when  it  was  written.  If  it  had  been 
intended  for  an  independent  work,  it  would  have  been  more  full  and 
explanatory  on  these  important  topics. 

21-24.  The  history  of  the  Shethite  Henok  is  distinguished  in  two 
respects  :  First,  after  the  birth  of  Methushelah,  he  walked  toith  the 
God.  Here  for  the  first  time  we  have  God  (c'^i'i'iJX)  with  the  definite 
article,  with  which  it  occurs  more  than  four  hundred  times.  By  this 
he  is  emphatically  distinguished  as  the  God,  now  made  known  by  his 
acts  and  manifestations,  in  opposition  to  atheism,  the  sole  God  in  op- 
position to  polytheism,  and  the  true  God  in  opposition  to  all  false  gods 
or  notions  of  God.  It  is  possible  that  in  the  time  of  Henok  some  had 
forsaken  the  true  God,  and  fallen  into  various  misconceptions  concern- 
ing the  Supreme  Being.  His  walking  with  the  God  is  a  hint  that 
others  were  walking  without  this  God. 

The  phrase  "  walked  with  God "  is  rendered  in  the  Septuagint 
€vr]p€<TTrj(J€  Tw  ^€M,  pkascd  God,  and  is  adduced  in  the  Epistle  to  the 
Hebrews  (ii.  5,  6)  as  an  evidence  of  Henok's  faith.  Walking  with 
God  implies  community  with  him  in  thought,  word,  and  deed,  and  is 
opposed  in  Scripture  to  walking  contrary  to  him.  "We  are  not  at  lib- 
erty to  infer  that  Henok  was  the  only  one  in  this  line  who  feared  God. 
But  we  are  sure  that  he  presented  an  eminent  example  of  that  faith 
which  purifies  the  heart  and  pleases  God. 

He  made  a  striking  advance  upon  the  attainment  of  the  times  of  his 
ancestor  Sheth.     In  those  days  tu(;y  began  to  call  upon  the  name  of 


172  LINE  TO  NOAH. 

the  Lord.  Now  tlie  fellowsliip  of  the  saints  with  God  reaches  its 
highest  form,  —  that  of  walking  with  him,  doing  his  will  and  enjoying 
his  presence  in  all  the  business  of  life.  Hence  this  remarkable  servant 
of  God  is  accounted  a  prophet,  and  foretells  the  coming  of  the  Lord  to 
judgment  (Jude  14,  15).  It  is  further  to  be  obsei-ved  that  this  most 
eminent  saint  of  God  did  not  withdraw  fi*om  the  domestic  circle,  or  the 
ordinary  duties  of  social  life.  It  is  related  of  him  as  of  the  others, 
that  during  the  three  hundred  years  of  his  walking  with  God  he  begat 
sons  and  daughters. 

Secondly,  The  second  peculiarity  of  Henok  was  his  translation. 
This  is  related  in  the  simple  language  of  the  times.  And  he  was  not, 
for  God  iooh  him  ;  or,  in  the  version,  of  the  Septuagint,  "  and  he  was 
not  found,  for  God  translated  him."  Hence  in  the  New  Testament  it 
is  said,  Ileb.  xi.  5,  "  By  faith  Enoch  was  translated,  that  he  should  not 
see  death."  This  passage  is  important  for  the  interpretation  of  the 
phrase  ^35''J<1.  /cat  ov)(^  ^vptaKero,  and  he  was  not  (fotmd).  It  means,  we 
perceive,  not  absolutely,  he  was  not,  but  relatively,  he  was  not  extant 
in  the  sphere  of  sense.  If  this  phrase  do  not  denote  annihilation,  much 
less  does  the  phrase  "  and  he  died."  The  one  denotes  absence  from 
the  world  of  sense,  and  the  other  indicates  the  ordinary  way  in  which 
the  soul  departs  from  this  world.  Here,  then,  we  have  another  hint 
that  points  plainly  to  the  immortality  of  the  soul  (see  on  Gen.  iii. 
22). 

This  glimpse  into  primeval  life  furnishes  a  new  lesson  to  the  men 
of  early  times  and  of  all  succeeding  generations.  An  atonement  was 
shadowed  forth  in  the  offering  of  Habel.  A  voice  was  given  to  the 
devout  feelings  of  the  heart  in  the  times  of  Sheth.  And  now  a  walk 
becoming  one  reconciled  to  God,  calling  upon  his  name,  and  animated 
by  the  spirit  of  adoption,  is  exhibited.  Faith  has  now  returned  to  God, 
confessed  his  name,  and  learned  to  walk  with  him.  At  this  point  God 
appears  and  gives  to  the  antediluvian  race  a  new  and  conclusive  token 
of  the  riches  and  power  of  mercy  in  counteracting  the  effects  of  sin  in 
the  case  of  the  returning  penitent.  Henok  does  not  die,  but  lives ; 
and  not  only  lives,  but  is  advanced  to  a  new  stage  of  life,  in  which  all 
the  power  and  pain  of  sin  are  at  an  end  forever.  This  crowns  and 
signalizes  the  power  of  grace,  and  represents  in  brief  the  grand  finale 
of  a  life  of  faith.  This  renewed  man  is  received  up  into  glory  without 
going  through  the  intermediate  steps  of  death  and  resurrection.  If  we 
omit  the  violent  end  of  Habel,  the  only  death  on  record  that  precedes 
the  translation  of  Henok  is  that  of  Adam.     It  would  have  been  incou- 


GEN.  V.  173 

gruous  that  he  who  brought  sin  and  death  into  the  world  should  not 
have  died.  But  a  little  more  than  half  a  century  after  his  death,  Henok 
is  wafted  to  heaven  without  leaving  the  body.  This  translation  took 
place  in  the  presence  of  a  sufficient  number  of  witnesses,  and  furnished 
a  manifest  proof  of  the  presence  and  reality  of  the  invisible  powers. 
Thus  were  life  and  immortality  as  fully  brought  to  light  as  was  neces- 
sary or  possible  at  that  early  stage  of  the  world's  history.  Thus  was 
it  demonstrated  that  the  grace  of  God  was  triumphant  in  accomplish- 
ing the  final  and  full  salvation  of  all  who  returned  to  God.  The  pro- 
cess might  be  slow  and  gi-adual,  but  the  end  was  now  shown  to  be  sure 
and  satisfactory. 

25-27.  Methushelah  is  the  oldest  man  on  record.  He  lived  to  be 
within  thirty-one  years  of  a  thousand,  and  died  in  the  year  of  the 
flood. 

28-31.  In  the  biography  of  Lamek  the  name  of  his  son  is  not  only 
given,  but  the  reason  of  it  is  assigned.  The  parents  were  cumbered 
with  the  toil  of  cultivating  the  ground.  They  looked  forward  with 
hope  to  the  aid  or  relief  which  their  son  would  give  them  in  bearing 
the  burden  of  life,  and  they  express  this  hope  in  his  name.  In  stating 
the  reason  of  the  name,  they  employ  a  word  which  is  connected  with 
it  only  by  a  second  remove,  n'3  and  cn3  are  stems  not  immediately 
connected ;  but  they  both  point  back  to  a  common  root  n3  signifying  to 
sigh,  breathe,  rest,  lie  down. 

This  is  only  another  recorded  instance  of  the  habit  of  giving  names 
indicative  of  the  thoughts  of  the  parents  at  the  time  of  the  child's  birth. 
All  names  were  originally  significant,  and  have  still  to  this  day  an 
import.  Some  were  given  at  birth,  others  at  later  periods,  from  some 
remarkable  circumstance  in  the  individual's  life.  Hence  many  char- 
acters of  ancient  times  were  distinguished  by  several  names  conferred 
at  different  times  and  for  different  reasons.  The  reason  of  the  present 
name  is  put  on  record  simply  on  account  of  the  extraordinary  destiny 
which  awaited  the  bearer  of  it. 

Which  the  Lord  hath  cursed.  Ilere  is  another  incidental  allusion  to 
the  second  document,  without  which  it  would  not  be  intelligible.  If 
the  present  document  had  been  intended  to  stand  alone,  this  remark 
would  have  had  its  explanation  in  some  previous  part  of  the  narrative. 

32.  And  Noah  was  the  son  of  five  hundred  years.  A  man  is  the  son 
of  a  certain  year,  in  and  up  to  the  close  of  that  year,  but  not  beyond 
it.  Thus  Noah  was  in  his  six  hundredth  year  when  he  was  the  son  of 
six  hundred  years  (Gen.  vii.  11,  G),  and  a  child  was  circumcised  on 


174  THE  LINE  TO  NOAH. 

the  eighth  day,  being  then  the  son  of  eight  days  (Lev.  xii.  3  ;  Gen. 
xvii.  12). 

When  the  phrase  indicates  a  point  of  time,  as  in  Lev.  xxvii., 
it  is  the  terminating  point  of  the  period  in  question.  The  first  part 
only  of  the  biography  of  Noah  is  given  in  this  verse,  and  the  remain- 
der will  be  furnished  in  due  time  and  place.  Meanwhile  Koah  is  con- 
nected with  the  general  history  of  the  race,  which  is  now  to  be  taken 
up.  His  three  sons  are  mentioned,  because  they  are  the  ancestors  of 
the  postdiluvian  race.  This  verse,  therefore,  prepares  for  a  continua- 
tion of  the  narrative,  and  therefore  implies  a  continuator  or  compiler 
who  lived  after  the  flood. 

Fi-om  the  numbers  in  this  chapter  it  appears  that  the  length  of  human 
life  in  the  period  before  the  deluge  was  ten  times  its  present  average. 
This  has  seemed  incredible  to  some,  and  hence  they  have  imagined 
that  the  years  must  have  consisted  of  one  month,  or  at  least  of  a  smaller 
number  than  twelve.  But  the  text  vv^ill  not  admit  of  such  amendment 
or  interpretation.  In  the  account  of  the  deluge  the  tenth  month  is 
mentioned,  and  sixty-one  days  are  afterwards  indicated  before  the  be- 
ginning of  the  next  year,  whence  we  infer  that  the  primeval  year  con- 
sisted of  twelve  lunar  months  at  least.  But  the  seemingly  incredible 
in  this  statement  concerning  the  longevity  of  the  men  before  the  flood, 
will  be  turned  into  the  credible  if  we  reflect  that  man  was  made  to  be 
immortal.  His  constitution  was  fitted  for  a  perpetuity  of  life,  if  only 
supplied  with  the  proper  nutriment.  This  nutriment  was  provided  in 
the  tree  of  life.  But  man  abused  his  liberty,  and  forfeited  the  source 
of  perpetual  life.  Nevertheless,  the  primeval  vigor  of  an  unimpaired 
constitution  held  out  for  a  comparatively  long  period.  After  the  del- 
uge, however,  through  the  deterioration  of  the  climate  and  the  soil,  and 
perhaps  much  more  the  degeneracy  of  man's  moral  and  physical  being, 
arising  from  the  abuse  of  his  natural  propensities,  the  average  length 
of  human  life  gradually  dv/iudled  down  to  its  present  limits.  Human 
physiology,  founded  upon  the  present  data  of  man's  constitution,  may 
pronounce  upon  the  duration  of  bis  life  so  long  as  the  data  are  the 
same  ;  but  it  cannot  fairly  aflirm  that  the  data  were  never  diiferent 
from  what  they  are  at  present.  Meanwhile,  the  Bible  narrative  is  in 
perfect  keeping  with  its  own  data,  and  is  therefore  not  to  be  disturbed 
by  those  who  still  accept  these  without  challenge. 

The  following  table  presents  the  age  of  each  member  of  this  gene- 
alogy, when  his  son  and  successor  was  born,  and  when  he  himself  died, 


GEN.  V. 


175 


as  they  stand  in  the  Hebrew  text,  the  Samaritan  Pentateuch,  the  Sep- 
tuagint,  and  Josephus : 


HEBREW. 

8AM. 

PENT. 

SEPTUAGINT. 

JOSEPHUS. 

DATE. 

Son's 
Birth. 

Own 
Death. 

B?rth. 

Own 
Death. 

Son's 
Birth. 

Own 

Death. 

Son's 
Birth. 

Own 

Death. 

Of 
Birth. 

Of 

Death. 

1.  Adam  .  .  . 

130 

930 

130 

930 

230 

930 

230 

930 

0 

930 

2.  Sheth  .  .  . 

10.3 

912 

105 

912 

205 

912 

205 

912 

130 

1042 

3.  Enosh  .  .  . 

90 

905 

90 

905 

190 

905 

190 

905 

235 

1140 

4.  Kenan .  .  . 

70 

910 

70 

910 

170 

910 

170 

910 

325 

1235 

S.Mahalalel. 

65 

895 

65 

895 

165 

895 

165 

895 

395 

1290 

6.  Jared  .  .  . 

102 

962 

62 

847 

162 

962 

162 

962 

460 

1422 

7.  Henok    .  . 

6-5 

365 

65 

365 

165 

365 

165 

365 

622 

987 

8.  Mclhuselali 

1S7 

969 

67 

720 

187 

969 

187 

969 

687 

1656 

9.  Lamek  .  . 

182 

777 

53 

6.53 

188 

753 

182 

777 

874 

1651 

10.  Noah  .  .  . 

500 

950 

500 

950 

500 

950 

500 

950 

10.')6 

2006 

Deluge   .  . 

100 

100 

100 

100 

16.56 

1307 

2262 

2256              1 

1 

On  comparing  the  series  of  numbers  in  the  Hebrew  with  those  in 
the  Samaritan,  the  Septuagint,  and  Josephus,  it  is  remarkable  tliat  we 
have  the  main  body  of  the  original  figures  in  all.  In  the  total  ages  of 
the  first  five  and  tlie  seventh,  and  in  that  of  Noah  at  the  flood,  they  all 
agree.  In  those  of  the  sixth  and  eighth,  the  Hebrew,  Septuagint,  and 
Josephus  agree.  In  that  of  the  ninth,  the  Hebrew  and  Josephus  agree, 
while  the  Samaritan  and  Septuagint  differ  from  them  and  from  each 
other.  On  examining  the  figui-es  of  the  Samaritan,  it  appears  that  the 
sixth,  eighth,  and  ninth  total  ages  would  have  reached  beyond  the  flood, 
if  the  numbers  found  in  the  other  authorities  had  been  retained.  And 
they  are  so  shortened  as  to  terminate  all  in  the  year  of  the  flood.  This 
alteration  betrays  design.  The  totals  in  the  Hebrew,  then,  have  by 
far  the  preponderating  authoi'ity. 

Of  the  numbers  before  the  birth  of  a  successor,  which  are  chiefly 
important  for  the  chronology,  the  units  agree  in  all  but  Lamek,  in  re- 
gard to  whom  the  Hebrew  and  Josephus  agree,  while  the  Samaritan 
and  the  Septuagint  differ  from  them  and  from  each  other.  The  tens 
agree  in  all  but  two,  Methushelah  and  Lamek,  where  the  Hebrew,  the 
Septuagint,  at  least  in  the  Codex  Alex.,  and  Josephus  agree,  while  the 
Samaritan  differs  from  them  all.     In  the  hundreds  a  systematic  and 


176  THE  GROWTH  OF  SIN. 

designed  variation  occurs.  Still  thej  agree  in  Noah.  In  Jared,  Me- 
thushelah,  and  Lamek,  the  Hebrew,  Septuagint,  and  Josephus  agree  in 
a  number  greater  by  a  hundred  than  the  Samaritan.  In  the  remain- 
ing six  the  Hebrew  and  Samaritan  agree ;  while  the  Septuagint  and 
Josephus  agree  in  having  a  number  greater  by  a  hundred.  On  the 
v/hole,  then,  it  is  evident  that  the  balance  of  probability  is  decidedly  in 
favor  of  the  Hebrew.  To  this  advantage  of  concurring  testimonies 
are  to  be  added  those  of  being  the  original,  and  of  having  been  guarded 
with  great  care.  These  grounds  of  textual  superioi'ity  may  be  sup- 
ported by  several  considerations  of  less  weight.  The  Samaritan  and 
the  Septuagint  follow  a  uniform  plan ;  the  Hebrew  does  not,  and 
therefore  has  the  mark  of  originality.  Josephus  gives  the  sum  total  to 
the  deluge  as  two  thousand  six  hundred  and  fifty-six  years,  agreeing 
with  the  total  of  the  Hebrew  in  three  figures,  with  that  of  the  Septu- 
agint only  in  two,  and  with  that  of  the  Samaritan  in  none.  Some  MSS. 
even  give  one  thousand  six  hundred  and  fifty-six,  which  is  the  exact 
sum  of  the  Hebrew  numbers.  Both  these  readings,  moreover,  differ 
from  the  sum  of  his  own  numbers,  which  itself  agrees  with  the  Hebrew 
in  two  figures  and  with  the  Septuagint  in  the  other  two.  This  looks 
like  a  studied  conformation  of  the  figures  to  those  of  the  Septuagint,  in 
which  the  operator  forgot  to  alter  the  sum  total.  We  do  not  at  present 
enter  into  the  external  arguments  for  or  against  the  Hebrew  text. 
Suffice  it  to  observe,  that  the  internal  evidence  is  at  present  clearly  in 
its  favor,  so  far  as  the  antediluvian  figures  go. 


XXII.    THE  GEOWTH  OF  SIN.  -  Gen.  vi.  1-8. 

3.  'ji'n  he  doion^  strive,  subdue,  judge,  tiaia^  inasmuch,  as  also.  The 
rendering  in  their  error  requires  the  pointing  Ciidn ,  and  the  plural 
form  of  the  following  pronoun.     It  is  also  unknown  to  the  Septuagint. 

4.  ni>S3  assailants,  fellers,  men  of  violence,  tyrants. 

VI.  1.  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  man  began  to  multiply 
on  the  face  of  the  soil,  that  daughters  were  born  to  them.  2. 
And  the  sons  of  God  saw  the  daughters  of  man  that  they  were 
goodly,  and  they  took  to  them  wives  of  all  whom  tliey  chose. 


GEN.  VI.  1-8. 


177 


3.  And  the  Lord  said,  My  Spirit  shall  not  strive  with  man  for- 
ever, inasmuch  as  he  is  also  flesh ;  and  his  days  shall  be  a 
hundred  and  twenty  years.  4.  The  giants  were  in  the  earth 
in  those  days ;  and  also  after  that,  wlien  the  sons  of  God  went 
in  unto  the  daughters  of  man  and  they  bare  to  them,  these 
were  the  heroes,  who  were  of  old  men  of  renown.        1 10. 

5.  And  the  Lokd  saw  that  the  evil  of  man  was  great  in  the 
earth,  and  every  imagination  of  the  thoughts  of  his  heart  was 
only  evil  every  day.  6.  And  it  repented  the  Lord  that  he  had 
made  man  on  the  earth,  and  he  was  grieved  at  his  heart.  7. 
And  the  Lord  said,  I  will  wipe  away  man  whom  I  have  created 
from  off  the  face  of  the  soil ;  from  man  to  cattle  to  creeper  and  to 
the  fowl  of  the  sky ;  for  it  repenteth  me  that  I  have  made  them. 
8.  And  Noah  found  grace  in  the  eyes  of  the  Lord.    2  iririT  11. 


Having  traced  the  line  of  descent  from  Adam  through  Sheth,  the 
seed  of  God,  to  Noah,  the  author  proceeds  to  describe  the  general 
spread  and  growth  of  moral  evil  in  the  race  of  man,  and  the  determi- 
nation of  the  Lord  to  wipe  it  away  from  the  face  of  the  earth. 

1-4.  There  are  two  stages  of  evil  set  forth  in  this  passage,  —  the 
one  contained  in  the  present,  four  vei-ses,  and  the  other  in  the  following. 
The  former  refers  to  the  apostasy  of  the  descendants  of  Sheth,  and  the 
cause  and  consequences  of  it.  When  man  began  to  multiply,  the  sep- 
arate families  of  Cain  and  Sheth  would  come  into  contact.  The 
daughters  of  the  stirring  Cainites,  distinguished  by  the  graces  of  na- 
ture, the  embellishments  of  art,  and  the  charms  of  music  and  song,  even 
though  destitute  of  the  loftier  qualities  of  likemindedness  with  God,, 
would  attract  attention  and  prompt  to  unholy  alliances.  The  phrase 
sons  of  God,  means  an  order  of  intelligent  beings  who  retain  the  -piirity 
of  moral  character  originally  communicated,  or  subsequently  restored, 
by  their  Creatoi'.  They  arc  called  the  sons  of  God,  because  they  have 
his  spirit  or  disposition.  The  sons  of  God  mentioned  in  Job  xxxviii. 
7,  are  an  order  of  rational  beings  existing  before  the  creation  of  man,. 
and  joining  in  the  symphony  of  the  universe,  when  the  earth  and  all 
things  were  called  into  being.  Then  all  were  holy,  for  all  are  styled 
the  sons  of  God.  Such,  however,  aie  not  meant  in  the  present  passage.. 
For  they  were  not  created  as  a  race,  have  no  distinction  of  sex,  and 
23 


178  THE  GROWTH  OF  SIN. 

therefore  no  sexual  desire  ;  they  "  neither  marry  nor  are  given  in  mar- 
riage "  (Mat.  xxii.  30).  It  is  contrary  to  the  law  of  nature  for  dif- 
ferent species  even  on  earth  to  cohahit  in  a  carnal  way ;  much  more 
for  those  in  the  hody,  and  those  who  have  not  a  body  of  flesh.  More- 
over, we  are  here  in  the  region  of  humanity,  and  not  in  the  sphere  of 
superhuman  spirits  ;  and  the  historian  has  not  given  the  slightest  inti- 
mation of  the  existence  of  spiritual  beings  different  from  man. 

The  sons  of  God,  therefore,  are  those  who  are  on  the  Lord's  side, 
who  approach  him  with  duly  significant  offerings,  who  call  upon  him 
by  his  proper  name,  and  who  walk  with  God  in  their  daily  conversa- 
tion. The  figurative  use  of  the  word  soti  to  denote  a  variety  of  rela- 
tions incidental,  and  moral  as  well  as  natural,  was  not  unfamiliar  to  the 
early  speaker.  Thus  Noah  is  called  the  son  of  Jive  hundred  years 
(Gen.  V.  32).  Abraham  calls  Eliezer  "^snia^a  son  of  my  house  (Gen.  xv. 
3).  The  dying  Rachel  names  her  son  Ben-oni,  son  of  my  sorroio, 
while  his  father  called  him  Benjamin,  son  of  thy  right  hand  (Gen.  xxxv. 
18).  An  obvious  parallel  to  the  moral  application  is  presented  in  the 
phrases  the  seed  of  the  rooman  and  the  seed  of  the  serpent.  The 
word  generations  (nilVia  v.  1)  exhibits  a  similar  freedom  and  elasti- 
city of  meaning,  being  applied  to  the  whole  doings  of  a  rational  being, 
and  even  to  the  physical  changes  of  the  material  world  (Gen.  ii.  4). 
The  occasion  for  the  present  designation  is  furnished  in  the  remark  of 
Eve  on  the  birth  of  Sheth.  God  hath  given  me  another  seed  instead 
of  Ilabel.  Her  son  Sheth  she  therefore  regarded  as  the  son  of  God. 
Accordingl}-,  about  the  birth  of  his  son  Enosh,  was  begun  the  custom  of 
calling  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord,  no  doubt  in  the  family-circle  of 
Adam,  with  whom  Sheth  continued  to  dwell.  And  Enok,  the  seventh 
from  Adam  in  the  same  line,  exhibited  the  first  striking  example  of  a 
true  believer  walking  with  God  in  all  the  intercourse  of  life.  These 
descendants  of  Sheth,  among  whom  Avere  also  Lamek  who  spoke  of  the 
Lord,  and  Noah  who  walked  with  God,  are  therefore  by  a  natural 
transition  called  the  sons  of  God,  the  godlike  in  a  moral  sense,  being 
born  of  the  Spirit,  and  walking  not  after  the  flesh,  but  after  the  Spirit 
■'(Ps.  Ixxxii.  6  ;  IIos.  ii.  1). 

Some  take  the  daughters  of  man  to  be  the  daughters  of  the  Cainites 
only.  But  it  is  sufficient  to  understand  by  this  phrase,  the  daughters 
■of  man  in  general,  without  any  distinction  of  a  moral  or  spiritual  kind, 
and  therefore  including  both  Cainite  and  Shethite  females.  And  they 
took  tliem  wives  of  all  whom  they  chose.  The  evil  here  described  is 
that  of  proiniricuGus  intermarriage,  without  regard  to  spiritual  character. 


GEN.  VI.  1-8.  179 

The  godly  took  them  wives  of  all  ;  that  is,  of  the  ungodly  as  well 
as  the  godly  families,  without  any  discrimination.  "  Whom  they 
chose,"  not  for  the  godliness  of  their  lives,  but  for  the  goodliness  of 
their  looks.  Ungodly  mothers  will  not  train  up  children  in  the  way 
they  should  go ;  and  husbands  who  have  taken  the  wrong  step  of  mar- 
rying ungodly  wives  cannot  prove  to  be  very  exemplary  or  authorita- 
tive fathers.  Up  to  this  time  they  may  have  been  consistent  as  the 
sons  of  God  in  their  outward  conduct.  But  a  laxity  of  choice  proves  a 
corresponding  laxity  of  principle.  The  first  inlet  of  sin  prepares  the 
way  for  the  flood-gates  of  iniquity.  It  is  easy  to  see  that  now  the  de- 
generacy of  the  whole  race  will  go  on  at  a  rapid  pace. 

3.  My  Spirit,  in  contradistinction  to  the  spirit  of  disobedience  which, 
by  the  fall,  obtained  entrance  into  the  soul  of  man.  Shall  not  strive 
icith  man  forever.  To  strive  ("pi)  is  to  keep  down,  rule,  judge,  or 
strive  with  a  man  by  moral  force.  From  this  passage  we  learn  that  the 
Lord  by  his  Spirit  sti'ives  with  man  up  to  a  certain  point.  In  this 
little  negative  sentence  streams  out  the  bright  light  of  God's  free  and 
tender  mercy  to  the  apostate  race  of  man.  He  sends  his  Spirit  to  ir- 
radiate the  darkened  mind,  to  expostulate  with  the  conscience,  to  prompt 
and  strengthen  holy  resolve,  and  to  bring  back  the  heart,  the  confidence, 
the  affection  to  God.  He  effects  the  blessed  result  of  repentance  to- 
wards God  in  some,  who  are  thus  proved  to  be  born  of  God.  But  it 
is  a  solemn  thought  that  with  others  he  will  not  strive  perpetually. 
There  is  a  certain  point  beyond  which  he  will  not  go,  for  sufficient 
reasons  known  fully  to  himself,  partly  to  us.  Two  of  these  we  are  to 
notice  for  our  instruction :  First,  he  will  not  touch  the  free  agency  of 
his  rational  creatures.  He  can  put  no  force  on  the  volitions  of  men. 
An  involuntary  or  compulsory  faith,  hope,  love,  obedience,  is  a  contra- 
diction in  terms ;  and  anything  that  could  bear  the  name  can  have  no 
moral  validity  whatsoever.  Secondly,  after  giving  ample  warning,  in- 
struction, and  invitation,  he  will,  as  a  just  judgment  on  the  unbelieving 
and  the  impenitent,  withdraw  his  Spirit  and  let  them  alone.  The  an- 
tediluvian world  was  fast  approaching  to  this  point  of  final  perversity 
and  abandonment. 

Inasmuch  as  he  is  also  flesh,  in  contradistinction  to  spirit,  the  breath 
of  lile  whi(;h  the  Almighty  breathed  into  his  nostrils.  These  two  parts 
of  man's  complex  being  were  originally  in  true  and  happy  adjustment, 
the  corporeal  being  the  fit  organ  and  complement  of  the  spiritual  as  it 
is  in  him.  But  now  by  the  fall  the  flesh  has  gained  the  upper  hand, 
and  the  spirit  is  in  the  bondage  of  corruption.     The  fact  that  he  is 


ISO  THE  GROWTH  OF  SIN. 

fle'^h  al?o  ?.s  well  as  spirit,  has  therefore  come  out  into  sad  promi- 
nence. The  doctrine  of  the  carnal  mind  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans 
(viii.)  is  merely  the  outgrowth  of  the  thought  expressed  in  this  pas- 
sage. 

His  days  shall  he  an  hundred  and  twenty  years.  "  His  days"  are  the 
days  of  ma7i,  not  the  individual,  but  the  race,  with  whom  the  Lord  still 
strives.  Hence  they  refer  to  the  duration,  not  of  the  life  of  an  indi- 
vidual, but  of  the  existence  of  the  race.  From  this  we  learn  that  the 
narrative  here  reverts  to  a  point  of  time  before  the  birth  of  Shem,  Ham, 
and  Japheth,  recorded  in  the  close  of  the  preceding  passage,  as  there 
were  only  a  hundred  years  from  their  birth  to  the  deluge.  This  is 
according  to  the  now  well-known  method  of  Scripture,  when  it  has  two 
lines  of  events  to  carry  on.  The  former  narrative  refers  to  the  godly 
portion  of  mankind  ;  this  to  the  ungodly  remnant. 

Not  forever  will  the  Lord  strive  with  man ;  but  his  longsuffering 
will  still  continue  for  one  hundred  and  twenty  years.  Meanwhile  he 
does  not  leave  himself  or  his  clemency  without  a  witness.  He  sent 
Noah  with  the  message  of  warning,  who  preached  by  his  voice,  by  his 
walking  with  God,  and  abo  by  his  long  labor  and  perseverance  in  the 
building  of  the  ark.  The  doomed  race,  however,  filled  up  the  measure 
of  their  iniquity,  and  when  the  set  number  of  years  was  accomplished, 
the  overwhelming  flood  came. 

4.  Two  classes  of  men,  with  strong  hand  and  strong  will,  are  here 
described.  The  giants,  the  well-known  men  of  great  stature,  physical 
force,  and  violent  will,  who  were  enabled  by  these  qualities  to  claim 
and  secure  the  supremacy  over  their  fellow-men.  Had  been  in  the 
land  in  those  days.  In  the  days  when  those  intermarriages  were  be- 
ginning to  take  place,  the  warriors  were  asserting  the  claim  of  might. 
Violence  and  rapine  were  becoming  rampant  in  the  land.  And  after 
that.  The  progeny  of  the  mixed  marriages  were  the  second  and  sub- 
sequent class  of  leading  men.  The  sons  of  God  are  here  contradistin- 
guished from  the  nephilim,  or  giants,  who  appear  therefore  to  have 
belonged  to  the  Cainites.  The  offspring  of  these  unhallowed  unions 
were  the  heroes,  the  gallants,  the  mighty  men,  the  men  of  renown. 
They  were  probably  more  refined  in  manners  and  exalted  in  thought 
than  their  predecessors  of  pure  Cainite  descent.  "Men  of  name," 
whose  names  are  often  in  men's  mouths,  because  they  either  deserved 
or  required  to  be  named  frequently  on  account  of  their  influential  or 
representative  character.  Being  distinguished  from  the  common  herd 
by  prominent  qualities  or  memorable  exploits,  thev  Avere  also  frequently 


GEN.  VI.  1- 


181 


marked  out  by  a  special  name  or  surname,  derived  from  such  trait  of 
character  or  deed  of  notoriety.  "  Of  old  "  (c^i's'tq).  This  has  been 
sometimes  explained  of  the  world,  in  the  sense  of  atwv;  but  the  mean- 
ing is  too  late  for  the  present  passage.  The  phrase  uniformly  means 
of  old,  covering  a  more  or  less  extensive  length  of  time.  This  note  of 
time  implies  a  writer  probably  after  the  deluge,  who  could  speak  of 
antediluvian  affairs,  as  happening  of  old. 

It  is  remarkable  that  we  have  no  hint  of  any  kind  of  government  in 
the  antediluvian  v/orld.  It  is  open  to  us  to  suppose  that  the  patri- 
archal polity  would  make  its  appearance,  as  it  is  an  order  based  upon 
natural  relations.  But  it  is  possible  that  God  himself,  being  still  pres- 
ent and  manifest,  was  recognized  as  the  governor.  To  him  offerings 
were  brought,  and  he  deals  with  Cain  on  his  first  and  second  transgres- 
sion. In  that  case  the  lawless  violence  of  the  strong  and  wilful  is  to 
be  regarded  as  rebellion,  not  only  against  the  patriarchal  rule,  but  the 
divine  supremacy.  A  notice  of  civil  law  and  government  would  not 
of  course  affect  the  authority  of  the  book.  But  the  absence  of  such 
notice  is  in  favor  of  its  divine  origin.  It  is  obvious  that  higher  things 
than  these  have  the  attention  of  the  sacred  writer. 

5-8.  In  these  verses  we  are  to  conceive  the  hundred  and  twenty 
years  of  respite  to  be  at  an  end.  The  iniquity  of  the  race  is  now  full, 
and  the  determination  of  the  Lord  is  therefore  announced,  witii  a  state- 
ment of  the  grounds  on  which  it  rests,  and  a  glance  at  the  individual 
to  be  excepted  from  the  general  destruction. 

5.  And  God  scno.  The  course  of  the  primeval  world  was  a  great 
experiment  going  on  before  the  eye  of  God,  and  of  all  intelligent 
observers,  and  manifesting  the  thorough  depravity  and  full-grown  degen- 
eracy of  the  fallen  race,  when  left  to  the  bent  of  its  perverted  inclina- 
tions. Every  imagination  (is;;).  Here  the  object  of  thought  is 
distinguished  from  the  thought  itself.  This  is  a  distinction  not  gen- 
erally or  constantly  recognized  by  the  mental  philosopher,  though  of 
essential  importance  in  the  theory  of  the  mind.  The  thought  itself  is 
a  real  phase  or  attitude  of  mind ;  the  form,  idea,  species,  object  of 
thought  may  have  matter,  real  content,  or  it  may  not.  Only  evil  every 
day.  This  is  an  unlimited  condemnation  of  the  state  and  process  of 
the  carnal  man.  The  reason  is  obvious.  Homage  to  God,  to  truth, 
to  right,  to  love,  does  not  reign  in  his  heart ;  and  the  imaginations  or 
purposes  that  are  not  regulated  by  this,  however  excellent  and  praise- 
worthy in  other  respects,  are  destitute  of  the  fir^-t,  the  essential  prin- 
ciple of  moral  good.     This  is  now  made   palpable  to   the    eye  of 


182  THE  GROWTH  OP  SIN. 

observation  by  the  almost  universal  predominance  of  the  ungodly  spirit. 
This  accordingly  forms  the  ground  of  the  divine  procedure. 

6.  And  it  repented  the  Lord  that  he  had  made  man.  The  Scripture 
is  frank  and  unreserved  ;  some  men  would  say,  imprudent  or  regardless 
of  misconstruction,  in  its  statements  of  truth.  Repentance  ascribed  to 
the  Lord  seems  to  imply  wavering  or  change  of  jjurpose  in  the  Eter- 
nal Self-existent.  But  the  sublime  dictate  of  the  inspired  word  is, 
"  God  is  not  a  man,  that  he  should  lie ;  neither  the  son  of  man,  that  he 
should  repent  :  hath  he  said  and  shall  he  not  do  it  ?  or  hath  he 
spoken  and  shall  he  not  make  it  good?"  (Num.  xxiii.  19.)  In  sooth, 
every  act  here  recorded  —  the  observation,  the  resolve,  the  exception  — 
seems  equally  with  the  repentance  to  jar  with  the  unchangeableness  of 
God.  To  go  to  the  root  of  the  matter,  every  act  of  the  divine  will,  of 
creative  power,  or  of  interference  with  the  order  of  nature,  seems  at 
variance  with  inflexibility  of  purpose.  But,  in  the  first  place,  man 
has  a  finite  mind  and  a  limited  sphere  of  observation,  and  therefore  is 
not  able  to  conceive  or  express  thoughts  or  acts  exactly  as  they  are  in 
God,  but  only  as  they  are  in  himself.  Secondly,  God  is  a  spirit,  and 
therefore  has  the  attributes  of  personality,  freedom,  and  holiness  ;  and 
the  passage  before  us  is  designed  to  set  forth  these  in  all  the  reality  of 
their  action,  and  thereby  to  distinguish  the  freedom  of  the  eternal  mind 
from  the  fatalism  of  inert  matter.  Hence,  thirdly,  these  statements 
represent  real  processes  of  the  Divine  Spirit,  analogous  at  least  to  those 
of  the  human.  And,  lastly,  to  verify  this  representation,  it  is  not  ne- 
cessary that  we  should  be  able  to  comprehend  or  constiTie  to  ourselves 
in  all  its  practical  detail  that  sublime  harmony  which  subsists  between 
the  liberty  and  the  immutability  of  God.  That  change  of  state  which 
is  essential  to  will,  liberty,  and  activity,  may  be,  for  aught  we  know, 
and  from  what  we  know  must  be,  in  profound  unison  with  the  eternity 
of  the  divine  purpose. 

7.  I  will  wipe  awayman  from  the  face  of  the  soil.  The  resolve  is 
made  to  sweep  away  the  existing  race  of  man.  Heretofore,  individuals 
had  departed  this  life.  Adam  himself  had  long  since  paid  the  debt  of 
nature.  These  solemn  testimonies  to  the  universal  doom  had  not  made 
any  salutary  or  lasting  impression  on  the  survivors.  But  now  a  gen- 
eral and  violent  destruction  is  to  overtake  the  whole  race,  —  a  standing 
monument  of  the  divine  wrath  against  sin,  to  all  future  generations  of 
the  only  family  saved. 

From  man  to  cattle,  creeper  and  foivl  of  the  shj.  These  classes  of 
animated  nature  being  mingled  up  with  man  are  involved  in  the  same 


GEK  VI.  1-8.  183 

ruin  with  him.  This  is  of  a  piece  with  the  curse  laid  upon  the  serpent, 
which  was  the  unconscious  organ  of  the  tempter.  It  is  an  instance  of 
a  law  which  runs  through  the  whole  course  of  nature,  as  we  observe 
that  it  is  the  method  of  the  divine  government  to  allow  for  the  time 
the  suffering  inflicted  on  an  inferior  animal,  or  even  on  a  fellow-crea- 
ture, by  selfish  passion.  It  has  an  appeai-ance  to  some  minds  of  harsh- 
ness and  unfairness.  But  we  must  remember  that  these  animated 
creatures  are  not  moral,  and,  therefore,  the  violent  termination  of  their 
organic  life  is  not  a  punishment ;  that  the  pain  incidental  to  this,  being 
apart  from  guilt,  is  in  itself  a  beneficial  provision  for  the  conservation 
of  life ;  and  that  it  was  not  intended  that  the  life  of  animals  should  be 
perpetual.  The  return  of  the  land  to  a  state  of  desolation  by  the 
destruction  of  animal  and  vegetable  life,  however,  has  its  lesson  for 
man,  for  whom  ultimately  all  of  this  beauty  and  fertility  were  designed, 
and  from  whom  it  is  now  withdrawn,  along  with  all  the  glories  it  fore- 
shadows, as  pai't  of  the  punishment  of  his  guilt.  The  tenant  has  be- 
come unworthy  of  the  tabernacle,  and  accordingly  he  is  dispossessed, 
and  it  is  taken  down  and  removed. 

8.  And  Noah  found  grace  in  the  eyes  of  the  Lord.  Noah  and  his 
family  are  the  only  exceptions  to  this  sweeping  destruction.  Hitherto 
we  have  met  with  distant  and  indirect  intimations  of  the  divine  favor, 
and  significant  deeds  of  regard  and  acceptance.  Now  for  the  first 
time  grace  itself  finds  a  tongue  to  express  its  name.  Grace  has  its 
fountain  in  the  divine  breast.  The  stream  has  been  flowing  forth  to 
Adam.  Eve,  Plabel,  Heuok,  and  others,  we  hope,  unknown  to  fame. 
By  the  time  it  reaches  Noah  it  has  found  a  name,  by  which  it  is  rec- 
ognized among  men  to  this  day.  It  is  opposed  to  works  as  a  source  of 
blessing.  "Whither  grace  comes  there  merit  cannot  be.  Hence  we 
learn  even  from  the  case  of  Noah  that  original  sin  asserts  its  presence 
in  the  whole  race  of  Adam.  This  completes  the  circle  of  saving  doc- 
trine in  regard  to  God  that  comes  down  from  the  antediluvian  times. 
He  intimates  that  the  seed  of  the  woman,  an  individual  preeminently 
so  called,  will  bruise  the  serpent's  head.  He  clothes  our  first  parents 
with  coats  of  skin  —  an  earnest  and  an  emblem  of  the  better,  the  moral 
clothing  of  the  soul.  He  regards  Habel  and  his  offering.  He  accepts 
him  that  in  faith  does  well.  He  translates  Enok,  who  walked  with 
him.  His  Spirit,  we  learn,  has  been  striving  with  antediluvian  man. 
Here  are  the  Spirit  of  God  and  the  seed  of  the  woman.  Here  are 
clothing,  regarding,  accepting,  translating.  Here,  then,  is  salvation 
provided  and  applied,  begun,   continued,  and   com^deted.     And   last, 


184  THE  GROWTH  OF  SIN. 

thougli  not  least,  grace  comes  out  to  view,  the  eternal  fountain  of  the 
whole.  On  the  part  of  man,  also,  we  have  repenting,  believing,  con- 
fessing, offering,  calling  on  the  name  of  the  Lord,  and  walking  with 
God. 

The  two  parts  of  the  document  which  is  now  closed  are  as  distinct 
from  each  other  as  it  is  from  the  following  one.  They  combine,  in  fact, 
to  form  the  needful  preliminary  to  the  fourth  document.  The  geneal- 
ogy brings  us  to  the  leading  agent  in  the  succeeding  narrative  ;  the 
description  of  the  corruption  of  the  human  race  furnishes  the  occasion 
for  his  agency.  The  third  is  therefore  the  prologue,  as  the  fifth  is  the 
epilogue,  to  the  fourth  document,  in  which  the  main  action  lies. 


SECTION  VI.  — THE  DELUGE. 


XXm.    THE  AliK.  —  Gen.  vi.  9-22. 

9.  "li'n  age,  time  from  birth  to  death,  applied  either  to  an  individual 
or  the  whole  contemporary  race,  running  parallel  with  some  leading 
individual.     Hence  the  race  or  generation  living  during  that  time. 

14.  nan  chest,  ark.  It  is  used  only  of  this  vessel  of  Noah's  con- 
struction, and  of  the  little  vessel  in  which  Moses  was  put  (Ex.  ii.  3,  5), 
The  root,  according  to  FUrst,  means  to  he  hollow,  nax  a  cognate 
word,  signiiies  a  reed ;  Kti3wTo?,  LXX.  *nsa  a.  A.,  perhaps  Jir,  cypress, 
resinous  wood,     'i?  nest,  room  ;  r.  prepare,  rear  up. 

16.  "^Ti-s.  shining,  light ;  not  the  same  as  the  "li^n  (Gen.  viii.  6),  or  the 
aperture  through  which  Noah  let  out  the  raven. 

18.  ni'iS  covenant ;  r.  cut,  eat,  choose,  decide. 

9.  These  are  the  generations  of  Noah.  Noah  was  a  just 
man  ;  perfect  had  he  been  in  his  ages;  with  the  God  walked 
Noah.  10.  And  Noah  begat  three  sons,  —  Shem,  Ham,  and 
Japeth.  11.  And  the  land  was  corrupt  before  God,  and  the 
land  was  filled  with  violence.  12.  And  God  saw  the  land, 
and,  behold,  it  was  corrupt ;  for  all  flesh  had  corrupted  its 
way  upon  the  land.  §  15, 

13.  And  God  said  unto  Noah,  The  end  of  all  flesh  is  come 
before  me  ;  for  the  land  is  filled  with  violence  through  them ; 
and,  behold,  I  will  destroy  them  with  the  land.  14.  Make 
thee  an  ark  of  gopher  wood  :  rooms  shalt  thou  make  in  the 
ark,  and  shalt  pitch  it  within  and  without  with  pitch.  15.  And 
this  is  the  way  that  thou  shalt  make  it :  three  hundred  cubits 
the  length  of  the  ark,  fifty  cubits  the  breadth  of  it,  and  thirty 
cubits  the  height  of  it.  16.  Ligliting  shalt  thou  make  for  the 
24 


186  THE  AEK. 

ai'k,  and  to  a  cubit  slialt  thou  finish  it  above  ;  and  the  door 
of  the  ark  shalt  thou  set  in  the  side  thereof :  with  lower,  sec- 
ond, and  third  stories  shalt  thou  make  it.  17.  And  I,  behold, 
I  do  bring  the  flood  of  water  upon  the  land,  to  destroy  all 
flesh,  wherein  is  the  breath  of  life,  from  under  the  skies :  all 
that  is  in  the  land  shall  expire.  18.  And  I  will  establisli  my 
covenant  witli  thee ;  and  tiiou  shalt  go  into  the  ark,  thou  and 
thy  sons,  and  thy  wife,  and  thy  sons'  wives  with  thee.  19.  And 
of  all  the  living  of  all  flesh  two  of  each  shalt  thou  bring  into 
the  ark  to  keep  alive  with  thee:  male  and  female  shall  they 
be.  20.  Of  the  fowl  after  its  kind,  and  of  the  cattle  after  its 
kind,  of  every  creeper  of  the  soil  after  its  kind ;  two  of  each 
shall  come  unto  thee  to  keep  alive.  21.  And  thou  take  unto 
tliee  of  all  food  that  may  be  eaten,  and  gather  it  for  thee :  and 
it  shall  be  to  thee  and  to  them  for  food.  22.  And  Noah  did 
so  :  accordinc::  to  all  that  God  commanded  him,  so  he  did. 


The  close  of  the  preceding  document  introduces  the  opening  topic  of 
this  one.  The  same  rule  applies  to  all  that  have  gone  before.  The 
generations  of  the  skies  and  the  land  (Gen.  ii.  4)  are  introduced  by  the 
finishing  of  the  skies  and  the  land  (ii.  1)  ;  the  generations  of  man  in 
the  line  of  Sheth  (v.  1),  by  the  birth  of  Sheth  (iv.  25)  ;  and  now  the 
generations  of  Noah,  by  the  notice  that  Noah  found  grace  in  tlie  eyes 
of  the  Lord.  The  narrative  here  also,  as  usual,  reverts  to  a  point  of 
time  before  the  stage  of  affairs  described  in  the  close  of  the  preceding 
passage.  Yet  there  is  nothing  here  that  seems  to  indicate  a  new  au- 
thor. The  previous  paragraph  is  historical,  and  closely  connected  with 
the  end  of  the  fourth  chapter ;  and  it  suitably  prepares  for  the  pro- 
ceedings of  Noah,  under  the  divine  direction,  on  the  eve  of  the  deluge. 
We  have  now  a  recapitulation  of  the  agent  and  the  occasion,  and  then 
the  divine  commission  and  its  execution. 

9-12.  Here  are  the  man  and  the  occasion.  9,  10.  The  (jeneratlons 
of  Noah.  In  the  third  document  we  had  the  generations  of  man  ;  now 
we  are  limited  to  Noah,  because  he  is  himself  at  peace  with  God,  and 
is  now  the  head  and  representative  of  those  who  are  in  the  same  blessed 
relation.  The  narrative,  therefore,  for  the  first  time,  formally  confines 
itjclf  to  the  portion  of  the  huniau  family  in  communion  with  God. 


GEX.  Yl.  9-22.  1<S7 

Noah  is  here  characterized  by  two  new  and  important  epltliets,  — just 
and  perfect.  It  is  to  be  remembered  that  he  had  ah'eady  found  grace 
in  the  eyes  of  the  Lord.  Adam  was  created  good  ;  but  by  disobedience 
he  became  guilty,  and  all  his  race,  Noah  among  the  rest,  became 
involved  in  that  guilt.  To  be  just  is  to  be  right  in  point  of  law,  and 
thereby  entitled  to  all  the  blessings  of  the  acquitted  and  justified.  Wlien 
applied  to  the  guilty,  this  epithet  implies  pardon  of  sin  among  other 
benefits  of  grace.  It  also  presupposes  that  spiritual  change  by  which 
the  soul  returns  from  estrangement  to  reconciliation  with  God.  Hence 
Noah  is  not  only  just,  but  perfect.  This  attribute  of  character  imports 
not  only  the  turning  from  darkness  to  light,  from  error  to  truth,  from 
wrong  to  right,  but  the  stability  of  moral  determination  which  arises 
from  the  struggle,  the  trial,  the  victory  of  good  over  evil,  therein  in- 
volved. The  just  is  the  right  in  law ;  the  perfect  is  the  tested  in  holi- 
ness. In  his  ages  ;  among  the  men  of  his  age.  This  phrase  indicates 
the  contrast  between  Noah  and  the  men  of  his  day.  It  is  probable, 
moreover,  that  he  was  of  pui'e  descent,  and  in  that  respect  also  distin- 
guished from  his  contemporaries  who  were  the  offspring  of  promiscu- 
ous intermarriage  between  the  godly  and  the  ungodly.  Noah  walked 
with  God,  like  Henok.  This  is  the  native  consequence  of  his  victory 
over  sin,  and  his  acceptance  with  God.  His  sons  are  mentioned,  as 
they  are  essentially  connected  with  the  following  events. 

11,  12.  And  the  land  was  corrupt.  In  contrast  with  Noah,  the  rest 
of  the  race  were  corrupt,  —  entirely  depraved  by  sin.  It  was  JiUed  with 
violence,  —  wdth  the  outwai'd  exhibition  of  inward  carnality.  And  God 
saw  this.  It  was  patent  to  the  eye  of  Heaven.  This  is  the  ground  of 
the  following  commission. 

13-21.  The  directions  concerning  the  ark  embrace  the  purpose  to 
destroy  the  race  of  man  (13),  the  plan  and  specification  of  the  ark 
(14-lG),  the  announcement  of  the  deluge  (17),  the  arrangements  for 
the  preservation  of  Noah  and  his  family,  and  certain  kinds  of  animals 
(18-21). 

13.  The  end  of  all  flesh.  The  end  may  mean  either  the  point  to 
which  it  tends,  or  the  extermination  of  the  race.  The  latter  is  the 
simpler.  All  flesh  is  to  be  understood  of  the  whole  race,  while  yet  it 
does  not  preclude  the  exception  of  Noah  and  his  family.  This  teaches 
us  to  bev,'are  of  applying  an  inflexible  literality  to  such  terms  as  all, 
■when  used  in  the  sense  of  ordinary  conversation.  Is  come  before  me, 
is  in  the  contemplation  of  my  mind  as  an  event  soon  to  be  realized. 
For  the  land  is  filled  loith  violence.     The  reason.     I  will  destroy  them. 


188  THE  AEK. 

The  i-esolve.     There  is  retribution  here,  for  the  ■words  corrupt  and 
destroy  are  the  same  in  the  original. 

14-1 G.  The  ark.  Reckoning  the  cubit  at  1.8  feet,  we  find  the 
length  to  be  about  540,  the  breadth  90,  and  the  height  54  feet.  The 
construction  of  such  a  vessel  implies  great  skill  in  carpentry.  The 
lighting  apparatus  is  not  described  so  particularly  that  we  can  form 
any  conception  of  it.  It  was  probably  in  the  roof.  The  roof  may 
have  been  flat.  And  to  a  cuhit  shalt  thou  finish  it  above.  The  cubit 
is  possibly  the  height  of  the  parapet  round  the  lighting  and  ventilating 
aperture.  The  opening  occupied,  it  may  be,  a  considerable  portion  of 
the  roof,  and  was  covered  during  the  rain  with  an  awning  {rvyzi2  Gen. 
viii.  13).  If,  however,  it  was  in  the  sides  of  the  ark,  the  cubit  was 
merely  its  height.  It  was  then  finished  with  a  strong  railing,  which 
went  round  the  whole  ark,  and  over  which  the  covering,  above  men- 
tioned, hung  down  on  every  side.  The  door  was  in  the  side,  and  the 
stories  were  three.  In  each  were  of  course  many  "  nests  "  or  cham- 
bers, for  animals  and  stores.  It  may  be  curious  to  a  mechanical  mind 
to  frame  the  details  of  this  structure  from  the  general  hints  here  given  ; 
but  it  could  not  serve  any  practical  end.  Only  the  animals  necessary 
to  man,  or  peculiar  to  the  region  covered  by  the  deluge,  required  to  be 
included  in  the  ark.  It  seems  likely  that  wild  animals  in  general  were 
not  included.  It  is  obvious,  therefore,  that  we  cannot  calculate  the 
number  of  animals  preserved  in  the  ark,  or  compare  the  space  they 
would  require  with  its  recorded  dimensions.  We  may  rest  assured 
that  there  was  accommodation  for  all  that  needed  to  be  there. 

17.  The  method  of  destruction  is  novv'  specified.  A  water  flood  shall 
cover  the  land,  in  which  all  flesh  shall  perish.  /,  behold,  I.  This 
catastrophe  is  due  to  the  interposition  of  the  Creator.  It  does  not 
come  according  to  the  ordinary  laws  of  physics,  but  according  to  the 
higher  law  of  ethics. 

18-21.  The  covenant  with  Noah.  Here  is  the  first  appearance  of 
a  covenant  between  God  and  man  on  the  face  of  Scripture.  A  cove- 
nant is  a  solemn  compact,  tacit  or  express,  between  two  parties,  in 
which  each  is  bound  to  perform  his  part.  Hence  a  covenant  implies 
the  moral  faculty  ;  and  wherever  the  moral  faculty  exists,  there  must 
needs  be  a  covenant.  Consequently,  between  God  and  man  there  was 
of  necessity  a  covenant  from  the  very  beginning,  though  the  name  do 
not  appear.  At  first  it  was  a  covenant  of  works,  in  regard  to  man ; 
but  now  that  v/orks  have  failed,  it  can  only  be  a  covenant  of  grace  to 
the  penitent  sinner.     M>j  covenant.     The  word  my  points  to  its  orig- 


GEN.  ^ni.  1-9. 


189 


inal  establishment  with  Adara.  My  primeval  covenant,  which  I  am 
resolved  not  to  abandon.  Will  I  establish.  Though  Adam  has  failed, 
yet  will  I  find  means  of  maintaining  my  covenant  of  life  with  the  seed 
of  the  woman.  With  thee.  Though  all  flesh  be  to  perish  through 
breach  of  my  covenant,  yet  will  I  uphold  it  with  thee.  Go  into  the  ark. 
This  is  the  means  of  safety.  Some  may  say  in  their  hearts,  this  is  a 
clumsy  way  to  save  Noah.  But  if  he  is  to  be  saved,  there  must  be 
some  way.  And  it  is  not  a  sign  of  wisdom  to  prescribe  the  way  to  the 
All-wise.  Eathcr  let  us  reflect  that  the  erection  of  this  ark  was  a  daily 
warning  to  a  wicked  race,  a  deepening  lesson  of  reliance  on  God  to 
Noah  and  his  household,  and  a  most  salutary  occupation  for  the  pro- 
genitors of  the  future  race  of  mankind.  And  thy  sons,  etc.  Noah's 
household  share  in  the  covenant. 

19,  20.  And  of  all  the  living.  For  the  sake  of  Noah,  the  animal 
species  also  shall  be  preserved,  two  of  each,  male  and  female.  They 
are  to  come  in  pairs  for  propagation.  20.  The  fowl,  the  cattle,  the 
creeping  thing  or  smaller  animals,  are  to  come.  From  this  it  appears 
that  the  wild  animals  are  not  included  among  the  inmates  of  the  ark. 
(See  Gen.  vii.  2,  3,  8.)  The  word  all  is  not  to  be  pressed  beyond  the 
specification  of  the  writer.  As  the  deluge  was  universal  only  in 
respect  to  the  human  race,  it  was  not  necessary  to  include  any  anim^als 
but  those  that  were  near  man,  and  within  the  range  of  the  overwhelm- 
ing waters.  21.  Fodder  and  other  provisions  for  a  year  have  to  be 
laid  in. 

22.  The  obedience  of  Noah  and  the  accomplishment  of  his  task  are 
here  recorded.  The  building  of  so  enormous  a  fabric  must  have  occu- 
pied many  years. 


XXIV.    THE  ARK  ENTERED.  —  Gen.  vii.  1-9. 

2.  "lin::  clean,  fit  for  food  or  sacrifice. 

4.  t^ip-^  standing  thing ;  that  which  grows  up,  whether  animal  or 
plant.     Comp.  n^f?  stalk,  or  standing  corn. 

VII.  1.  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Noah,  go  thou  and  all  thy 
house  into  the  ark  :  for  thee  have  I  seen  righteous  before  me 
in  this  age.     2.   Of  all  clean  cattle  thou  shalt  take  to  thee  seven 


190  THE  ARK  ENTERED. 

each,  he  and  his  mate  ;  and  of  cattle  that  are  not  clean  two,  he 
and  his  mate.  3.  Also  of  the  fowl  of  the  slcies  seven  each,  male 
and  female  :  to  keep  alive  seed  upon  the  face  of  all  the  land. 
4.  For  in  yet  seven  days  will  I  cause  it  to  rain  upon  the  land 
forty  days  and  forty  nights :  and  I  will  wipe  out  every  stand- 
ing tiling  that  I  have  made  from  the  face  of  the  soil. 

5.  And  Noah  did  according  to  all  that  the  Lord  commanded 
him.  6.  And  Noah  was  the  son  of  six  hundred  years,  when 
the  flood  of  waters  came  upon  the  land.  7.  And  Noah  went 
in,  and  his  sons,  and  his  wife,  and  his  sons'  wives  with  him, 
into  the  ark,  from  before  the  waters  of  the  flood.  8.  Of  the 
clean  cattle  and  of  the  cattle  that  are  not  clean,  and  of  the 
fowl  and  all  that  creepeth  upon  the  soil,  9.  Two  each  went 
they  unto  Noah  into  the  ark,  male  and  female ;  as  God  com- 
manded Noah. 


1-4.  The  command  to  enter  the  ark.  The  general  direction  in  the 
preceding  chapter  was  given  many  years  ago,  before  the  ark  was  com- 
menced. Now,  when  it  is  completed,  a  more  specific  command  is 
issued.  For  thee  have  I  seen  righteous  before  me.  Noah  has  accepted 
the  mercy  of  God,  is  therefore  set  right  in  point  of  law,  and  walks 
aright  in  point  of  practice.  The  Lord  recognizes  this  indication  of  an 
adopted  and  renewed  son.  In  this  arje  he  and  his  were  the  solitary 
family  so  characterized. 

2,  3.  Of  all  clean  cattle.  Here  the  distinction  of  clean  and  unclean 
animals  meets  us  without  any  previous  notice.  How  it  became  known 
to  Noah  we  are  not  informed.  From  the  former  direction  it  appears 
that  the  animals  were  to  enter  by  pairs.  Now  it  is  further  arranged 
that  there  are  to  be  seven  pairs  of  the  clean  cattle  and  fowl,  and  only 
one  pah'  of  the  unclean. 

4.  Seven  days  after  the  issue  of  the  command  the  rain  is  to  com- 
mence, and  continue  for  forty  days  and  nights  without  ceasing.  Every 
standing  thing  means  every  plant  and  animal  on  the  land. 

5-9.  The  execution  of  the  command  is  recorded  and  fully  particu- 
larized ^vitll  the  additional  circumstance  of  the  age  of  Noah.  6.  The 
sou  of  six  hundred  years,  in  his  six  hundredth  year,  9.  Went  they  tinto 
Noah.     They  seem  to  have  come  under  the  influence  of  a  special  in- 


GEN.  VII.  10-24.  191 

stinct,  so  that  Noali  did  not  require  to  gather  them.     Seven  days  were 
employed  in  receiving  them,  and  storing  provisions  for  them. 


XXV.    THE  FLOOD.  — Gen.  vii.  10-24. 

10.  And  it  came  to  pass  in  seven  days  that  the  waters  of 
the  flood  were  upon  the  land.  11.  In  the  sis  hundredth  year 
of  Noali's  life,  in  the  second  month,  in  the  seventeenth  day  of 
the  month,  in  this  day  were  broken  up  all  the  fountains  of  the 
great  deep,  and  the  windows  of  the  skies  were  opened.  12. 
And  the  shower  was  upon  the  land  forty  days  and  forty  nights. 
13.  In  the  self-same  day  were  gone  Noah  and  Shem  and  Ham 
and  Japhcth,  the  sons  of  Noah,  and  Noah's  wife,  and  the  three 
wives  of  his  sons  with  them,  into  the  ark.  14.  They  and  every 
living  thing  after  its  kind,  and  all  cattle  after  their  kind,  and 
every  creeper  that  creepeth  on  the  land  after  its  kind,  and 
every  fowl  after  its  kind,  every  bird  of  every  wing.  15.  And 
they  went  in  unto  Noah  into  the  ark,  two  each  of  all  flesh 
wherein  was  the  breath  of  life.  16.  And  they  that  went  in, 
male  and  female  of  all  flesh  went  they  in,  as  God  had  com- 
manded him  :  and  the  Lord  shut  him  in. 

17.  And  the  flood  was  forty  days  upon  the  land  ;  and  the 
waters  increased  and  bare  up  the  ark,  and  it  rose  from  upon 
the  land.  18.  And  the  waters  prevailed  and  increased  greatly 
upon  the  land  ;  and  the  ark  went  upon  the  face  of  the  waters. 
19.  And  the  waters  had  prevailed  exceedingly  on  the  land ; 
and  all  the  high  hills  that  were  under  the  whole  skies  were 
covered.  20.  Fifteen  cubits  upward  had  the  waters  prevailed, 
and  the  hills  were  covered.  21.  Then  expired  all  flesh  that 
creepeth  upon  the  land,  in  the  fowl  and  in  the  cattle,  and  in 
the  living  thing,  and  in  every  crawler  that  crawleth  upon  the 
land,  and  every  man.  22.  All  in  whose  nostrils  was  the  breath 
of  the  spirit  of  life,  of  all  that  was  in  the  dry  land  died.     23. 


192  THE  FLOOD. 

Then  was  wiped  away  every  standing  thing  which  was  upon 
the  face  of  the  soil,  from  man  to  cattle,  to  creeper  and  to  fowl 
of  the  skies,  and  they  were  wiped  away  from  the  land ;  and 
there  remained  only  Noah  and  they  that  were  with  him  in  tlie 
ark.  24.  And  the  waters  prevailed  upon  the  land  fifty  and  a 
hundred  days. 

10-16.  The  date  is  here  given,  at  wliicli  the  flood  commenced  and 
the  entrance  into  the  ark  was  completed.  10.  In  seven  days.  On  the 
seventh  day  from  the  command.  11.  In  the  second  month.  The 
primeval  year  commenced  about  the  autumnal  equinox ;  we  may  say,  on 
the  nearest  new  moon.  The  rains  began  about  a  month  or  six  weeks 
after  the  equinox,  and,  consequently,  not  far  from  the  seventeenth  of 
the  second  month.  All  the  fountains  of  the  great  deep,  and  the  win- 
dows of  the  shies.  It  appears  that  the  deluge  was  produced  by  a  grad- 
ual commotion  of  nature  on  a  grand  scale.  The  gathering  clouds  were 
dissolved  into  incessant  showers.  But  this  was  not  sufficient  of  itself 
to  effect  the  overwhelming  desolation  that  followed.  The  beautiful 
figure  of  the  windows  of  the  skies  being  opened  is  preceded  by  the 
equally  striking  one  of  the  fountains  of  the  great  deep  being  broken 
up.  This  was  the  chief  source  of  the  flood.  A  change  in  the  level 
of  the  land  was  accomplished.  That  which  had  emerged  from  the 
waters  on  the  third  day  of  the  last  creation  was  now  again  submerged. 
The  waters  of  the  great  deep  now  broke  their  bounds,  flowed  in  on 
the  sunken  surface,  and  drowned  the  world  of  man,  with  all  its  inhabi- 
tants. 12.  The  accompanying  heavy  i-ain  of  forty  days  and  nights 
vv'as,  in  reality,  only  a  subsidiary  instrument  in  the  deluging  of  the 
land.  We  may  imagine  the  sinking  of  the  land  to  have  been  so  gradual 
as  to  occupy  the  whole  of  these  forty  days  of  rain.  There  is  an  awful 
magnificence  in  this  constant  uplifting  of  the  billows  over  the  yielding 
land. 

10-1 G.  There  is  a  simple  grandeur  in  the  threefold  description  of 
the  entrance  of  Noah  and  his  retinue  into  the  ark,  first  in  the  com- 
mand, next  in  the  actual  process  during  the  seven  days,  and,  lastly,  in 
the  completed  act  on  the  seventh  day.  Every  living  thing  after  its 
kind  is  here  unaccompanied  with  the  epithet  ti^"i  evil^  or  the  qualify- 
ing term  of  the  land  or  of  the  field,  and  therefore  may,  we  conceive, 
be  taken  in  the  extent  of  Gen.  vi.  20,  vii.  2,  3,  6.  At  all  events  the 
whole  of  the  wild  animals  did  not  need  to  be  included  in  the  ark,  as 


GEN.  VII.  10-24.  193 

their  range  was  greater  than  that  of  antediluvian  man  or  of  the  flood. 
And  the  Lord  shut  him  in.  This  is  a  fitting  close  to  the  scene.  The 
whole  work  was  manifestly  the  Lord's  doing,  from  first  to  last.  The 
personal  name  of  God  is  appropriately  introduced  here.  For  the 
Everlasting  now  shows  himself  to  be  the  causer  or  elFecter  of  the  cov- 
enant blessing  promised  to  Noah.  In  what  way  the  Lord  shut  him  in 
is  an  idle  question,  altogether  unworthy  of  the  grandeur  of  the  occa- 
sion. "We  can  tell  nothing  more  than  what  is  written.  We  are  certain 
that  it  would  be  accomplished  in  a  manner  worthy  of  him. 

17-24.  The  prevalence  of  the  waters.  The  forty  days  are  now 
completed.  And  at  the  end  of  this  period  the  ark  had  been  afloat  for 
a  long  time.  It  was  drifted  on  the  waters  in  the  direction  in  which 
they  were  flowing,  and  towards  what  was  formerly  the  higher  ground. 

19.  Upon  the  land.  The  land  is  to  be  understood  of  the  portion 
of  the  earth's  surface  known  to  man.  This,  with  an  unknown  margin 
beyond  it,  was  covered  with  the  waters.  But  this  is  all  that  Scripture 
warrants  us  to  assert.  Concerning  the  distant  parts  of  Europe,  the 
continents  of  Africa,  America,  or  Australia,  we  can  say  nothing.  AU 
the  high  hills  toere  covered.  Not  a  hill  was  above  water  within  the  ho- 
rizon of  the  spectator  or  of  man.  There  were  ten  generations  from 
Adam  to  Noah  inclusive.  We  cannot  tell  what  the  rate  of  increase 
was.  But,  supposing  each  couple  to  have  ten  children,  and  therefore 
the  common  ratio  to  be  five,  the  whole  number  of  births  would  be  about 
five  millions,  and  the  population  in  the  time  of  Noah  less  than  four 
millions.  It  is  probable  that  they  did  not  scatter  further  than  the  ne- 
cessities and  conveniences  of  life  demanded.  In  a  fertile  region,  an 
area  equal  to  that  of  the  British  Isles  would  be  amply  sufficient  for 
four  millions  of  men,  women,  and  children.  Let  us  suppose,  then,  a 
circle  of  five  hundi-ed  miles  in  diameter  inhabited  by  man.  Let  this 
occupy  the  central  region  of  a  concentric  cii'cle  of  eight  hundred  miles 
in  diameter.  With  a  centre  a  little  southwest  of  Mosul,  this  larger 
circle  would  reach  fifty  miles  into  the  Mediterranean,  the  Euxine,  and 
the  Caspian,  and  would  probably  have  touched  the  Persian  Gulf  at 
the  time  of  the  deluge.  K  this  region  were  covered  with  water,  it  is 
obvious  that  no  land  or  mountain  would  be  visible  to  a  spectator  within 
the  inner  circle  of  five  hundred  miles  in  diameter.  20.  Fifteen  cubits 
tipward.  This  was  half  the  depth  of  the  ark.  It  may  have  taken  this 
draught  of  water  to  float  it.  If  so,  its  grounding  on  a  hill  under  water 
would  indicate  the  depth  of  water  on  its  summit.  The  gradual  rise 
of  the  waters  was  accomplished  by  the  depression  of  the  land,  aided,. 
25 


194  THE  LAND  DEIED. 

possibly,  by  a  simultaneous  elevation  of  the  bed  of  the  ocean.  The 
water,  by  the  mere  necessity  of  finding  its  level,  overflowed  the  former 
dry  land.  The  extent  of  this  oscillation  of  the  solid  crust  of  the  earth 
is  paralleled  by  the  changes  of  level  which  geology  indicates,  the  last 
of  which  took  place  at  the  time  of  the  six  days'  creation.  It  is  possi- 
ble that  most  of  the  land  that  was  then  raised  was  now  again  tempo- 
rarily submerged  in  the  returning  waters ;  while  distant  continents 
may  have  all  along  existed,  which  never  came  within  the  ken  of  ante- 
diluvian man.  The  sobriety  and  historical  veracity  of  the  narrative 
are  strikingly  exhibited  in  the  moderate  height  to  which  the  waters 
are  said  to  have  risen  above  the  ancient  hills. 

21-23.  There  expired  all  fie&li.  The  resulting  death  of  all  by 
drowning  is  here  recounted.  All  in  whose  nostrils  was  the  breath  of 
the  spirit  of  life  died.  This  statement  refers  solely  to  man,  whose 
higher  life  is  exclusively  expressed  by  the  phrase  d'^^n  ri::d3  breath 
of  life  (Gen.  ii.  7).  It  affirms  the  death  of  the  whole  of  mankind. 
23.  The  sum-total  of  animal  and  vegetable  life,  with  the  exception  of 
those  in  the  ark,  is  here  declared  to  be  extinguished. 

24.  Fifty  and  a  hundred  days.  These,  and  the  forty  days  of  rain,  make 
one  hundred  and  ninety  days  :  about  six  lunar  months  and  thirteen  days. 
If  to  this  we  add  the  month  and  seventeen  days  before  the  commence- 
ment of  the  rain,  we  have  eight  months  completed,  and  are  therefore 
brought  to  the  first  day  of  the  ninth  month.  The  waters  may  be  said  to 
prevail  as  long  as  the  ark  had  its  full  draught  of  water.  It  is  probable 
they  were  still  rising  during  the  first  half  of  the  hundred  and  fifty 
'days,  and  then  gradually  sinking  during  the  other  lialf. 


XXVI.    THE  LAND  DRIED.  —  Gen.  viii.  1-14. 

1.  I5d  stoop,  assuage. 

3.  ^Gn  tcant,  fail,  be  abated. 

4.  L:n-iX  Ararat,  a  land  forming  part  of  Armenia.  It  is  mentioned 
in  2  Kings  xix.  37,  and  Isa.  xxxvii.  38,  as  the  retreat  of  Adrammelek 
and  Sharezer  after  the  murder  of  their  father ;  and  in  Jer.  li.  27  as  a 
kingdom. 

8.  bbp  be  lifjht,  lightened,  lightly  esteemed,  swift. 
10.     'bw  twist,  turn,  dance,  writhe,  tremble,  be  strong,  wait,     'b'n^  re- 
main,  tvait,  hope. 
13.  2"^^  be  drained,  desolated,  amazed. 


GEN.  VIII.  1-14.  195 

VIII.  1.  And  Ood  remembered  Noah,  and  every  living 
thing,  and  all  the  cattle  that  was  with  him  in  the  ark  ;  and 
God  made  a  wind  to  pass  over  the  land,  and  the  waters  as- 
suaged. 2.  And  the  fountains  of  the  deep  and  the  windows 
of  tlie  skies  were  shut ;  and  the  shower  from  the  skies  was  re- 
strained. 3.  And  the  waters  returned  gradually  from  upon 
the  land  ;  and  the  waters  decreased  from  the  end  of  fifty  and 
a  hundred  days. 

4.  And  the  ark  rested  in  the  seventh  month,  on  the  seven- 
teenth day  of  the  month,  upon  the  hills  of  Ararat.  5.  And 
the  waters  decreased  continually  until  the  tenth  month ;  in 
the  tenth,  on  the  first  of  the  month,  the  tops  of  the  hills  were 
seen. 

6.  And  it  was  at  the  end  of  forty  days  that  Noah  opened 
the  windows  of  the  ark  which  he  had  made.  7.  And  sent  out 
the  raven,  and  it  went  forth  to  and  fro,  until  the  waters  were 
dried  up  from  upon  the  land.  8.  And  he  sent  the  dove  from 
with  him,  to  see  if  the  waters  were  abated  from  upon  the 
face  of  "the  soil.  9.  And  the  dove  found  no  rest  for  the  sole 
of  her  foot,  and  she  returned  to  him  into  the  ark,  for  there 
was  water  on  the  face  of  ail  the  land  ;  and  he  put  forth  his 
hand  and  took  her,  and  brought  her  to  him  into  the  ark.  10. 
And  he  stayed  yet  other  seven  days,  and  again  sent  forth  the 
dove  from  the  ark.  11.  And  the  dove  came  in  to  him  in  the 
evening  ;  and,  lo,  an  olive  leaf  plucked  off,  in  her  mouth  ;  and 
Noah  knew  that  the  waters  were  abated  from  upon  the  land. 
12.  And  he  stayed  yet  other  seven  days,  and  sent  forth  the 
dove,  and  she  returned  not  again  to  him. 

13.  And  it  was  in  the  one  and  six  hundredth  year,  on  the 
first  of  the  first  mouth,  that  the  waters  were  drained  from  upon 
the  land  ;  and  Noah  removed  the  covering  of  the  ark,  and  saw, 
and,  behold,  the  face  of  the  soil  was  drained.  14.  And  in  the 
second  month,  on  the  seven  and  twentieth  day  of  the  month, 
was  the  land  dried. 


196  THE  LAND  DIIIED. 

1-3.  The  waters  commence  their  retreat.  And  God  remembered 
Noah.  He  is  said  to  remember  him  when  he  takes  any  step  to  deliver 
him  from  the  waters.  The  several  steps  to  this  end  are  enumerated. 
A  ivind.  This  would  promote  evaporation,  and  otherwise  aid  the 
retreat  of  the  waters.  The  fountains  of  the  deep  and  the  windows  of 
the  shies  were  shut.  The  incessant  and  violent  showers  had  continued 
for  six  weeks.  It  is  probable  the  weather  remained  turbid  and  moist 
for  some  time  longer.  In  the  sixth  month,  however,  the  rain  probably- 
ceased  altogether.  Some  time  before  this,  the  depressing  of  the 
ground  had  reached  its  lowest  point,  and  the  upheaving  had  set  in. 
This  is  the  main  cause  of  the  reflux  of  the  waters.  All  this  is  described, 
as  we  perceive,  according  to  appearance.  It  is  probable  that  the  for- 
mer configuration  of  the  surface  was  not  exactly  restored.  At  all 
events  it  is  not  necessary,  as  the  ark  may  have  drifted  a  considerable 
space  in  a  hundred  and  fifty  days.  Some  of  the  old  ground  on  which 
primeval  man  had  trodden  may  have  become  a  permanent  water  bed, 
and  a  like  amount  of  new  land  may  have  risen  to  the  light  in  another 
place.  Hence  it  is  vain  to  seek  for  a  spot  retaining  the  precise  condi- 
tions of  the  primitive  Eden.  The  Euphrates  and  Tigris  may  substan- 
tially remain,  but  the  Pishon  and  Gihon  may  have  considerably 
changed.  The  Black  Sea,  the  Caspian,  the  lakes  Van  and  Urumiah 
may  cover  portions  of  the  Adamic  land.  At  the  end  of  the  hundred 
and  fifty  days  the  prevalence  of  the  waters  begins  to  turn  into  a  posi- 
tive retreat. 

4,  5.  The  arh  rested.  It  is  stranded  on  some  hill  in  Ararat.  This 
country  forms  part  of  Armenia.  As  the  drying  wind  most  probably 
came  from  the  east  or  north,  it  is  likely  that  the  ark  was  drifted  towards 
Asia  Minor,  and  caught  land  on  some  hill  in  the  reaches  of  the  Euphra- 
tes. It  cannot  be  supposed  that  it  rested  on  either  of  the  peaks  now 
called  Ararat,  as  Ararat  was  a  country,  not  a  mountain,  and  tliese 
peaks  do  not  seem  suitable  for  the  purpose.  The  seventh  month  began 
usually  with  the  new  moon  nearest  the  vernal  equinox,  or  the  21st  of 
March.  The  tenth  month.  The  waters  ceased  to  prevail  on  the  first 
of  the  ninth  month.  The  ark,  though  grounded  six  weeks  before,  was 
still  deep  in  the  waters.  The  tops  of  the  hills  began  to  appear  a 
month  after.  The  subsiding  of  the  waters  seems  to  have  been  very 
slow. 

6-12.  The  raven  and  the  dove  are  sent  out  to  bring  tidings  of  the 
external  world.  Forty  days.  Before  Noah  made  any  experiment  he 
seems  to  have  allowed  the  lapse  of  forty  days  to  undo  the  remaining 


GEN.  Vni.  1-14. 


197 


effect  of  the  forty  days'  rain.  The  window.  He  seems  to  have  been 
unable  to  take  any  definite  observations  through  the  aperture  here 
called  a  window.  The  raven  found  carrion  in  abundance,  floated 
probably  on  the  waters,  and  did  not  need  to  return.  This  was  such  a 
token  of  the  state  of  things  as  Noah  might  expect  from  such  a  mes- 
senger. He  next  sends  the  dove,  who  returns  to  him.  Yet  other  seven 
days.  This'  intimates  that  he  stayed  seven  days  also  after  the  raven 
was  sent  out.  The  olive  leaf  plucked  off  was  a  sign  of  returning 
safety  to  the  land.  It  is  said  by  Theophrastus  (Hist.  Plant.  4,  7)  and 
Pliny  (H.  N.  13,  50)  that  the  olive  strikes  leaves  even  under  water. 
From  this  event,  the  olive  branch  became  the  symbol  of  peace,  and 
the  dove  the  emblem  of  the  Comforter,  the  messenger  of  peace.  After 
seven  other  days,  the  dove  being  despatched,  returns  no  more.  The 
number  seven  figures  very  conspicuously  in  this  nai-rative.  Seven 
days  before  the  showers  commence  the  command  to  enter  the  ark  is 
given  ;  and  at  intervals  of  seven  days  the  winged  messengers  are 
sent  out.  These  intervals  point  evidently  to  the  period  of  seven  days, 
determined  by  the  six  days  of  creation  and  the  seventh  day  of  rest. 
The  clean  beasts  also  and  the  birds  are  admitted  into  the  ai-k  by  seven 
pairs.  This  points  to  the  sacredness  associated  with  the  number  aris- 
ing from  the  hallowed  character  of  the  seventh  day.  The  number 
forty  also,  the  product  of  four,  the  number  of  the  world  or  universe, 
and  ten  the  number  of  completeness,  begins  here  to  be  employed  for  a 
complete  period  in  which  a  process  will  have  run  its  course. 

13,  14.  Noah  delays  apparently  another  month,  and,  on  the  first  day 
of  the  new  year,  ventures  to  remove  the  covering  of  the  ark  and  look 
around.  The  date  of  the  complete  drying  of  the  land  is  then  given. 
The  interval  from  the  entrance  to  the  exit  consists  of  the  following 
periods  : 

Rain  continued 40  days. 

Waters  prevailed 150  " 

Waters  subside 29  " 

Noah  delays 40  " 

Sending  of  raven  and  dove 20  " 

Another  month 29  " 

Interval  till  27th  of  second  month 57  " 

Sum-total  of  days 365 

Hence  it  appears  that  the  interval  was  a  lunar  year  of  three  hun- 
dred and  fifty-six  days  nearly,  and  ten  days ;  that  is,  as  nearly  as  possi- 


198  THE  ARK  LEFT. 

ble,  a  solar  year.  This  passage  is  important  on  account  of  the  divis- 
ions of  time  which  it  brings  out  at  this  early  epoch.  The  week  of 
seven  days  is  plainly  intimated.  The  lunar  month  and  year  are 
evidently  known.  It  is  remarkable  that  the  ten  additional  days  -bring 
up  the  lunar  year  in  whole  numbers  to  the  solar.  It  seems  a  tacit 
agreement  with  the  real  order  of  nature.  According  to  the  Hebrew 
text,  the  deluge  commenced  in  the  lG56th  year  of  the  race  of  man. 
According  to  all  texts  it  occurred  in  the  time  of  Noah,  the  ninth  in 
descent  from  Adam. 


XXVII.    THE  ARK  LEFT.  —Gen.  viii.  15-22. 

19.  nnS'IJ'a  liind,  clan,  family.     in!iSi:3  maid-servant ;  r.  spread. 

20.  tys^TZ  altar  ;  r.  slay  animals,  sacrifice. 

21.  iibi>  whole  hurnt-offering.    That  which  goes  up.    Step  ;  r.  go  up. 

15.  And  God  spake  unto  Noah,  saying,  16.  Come  forth 
from  the  ark,  thou,  and  thy  wife,  and  thy  sons,  and  thy  sons' 
wives  with  thee.  17.  Every  living  thing  that  is  with  thee,  of 
all  flesh,  the  fowl  and  the  cattle,  and  every  creeper  that  creep- 
eth  upon  the  land,  bring  forth  with  thee ;  and  let  them  breed  in 
the  land  and  be  fruitful,  and  multiply  upon  the  land.  18.  And 
Noah  came  forth,  and  his  sons,  and  his  wife,  and  his  sons' 
wives  with  him.  19.  Every  living  thing,  every  creeper,  and 
every  fowl,  all  that  creepeth  upon  the  land,  after  their  families, 
came  forth  out  of  the  ark. 

20.  And  Noah  builded  an  altar  unto  the  Lord,  and  took  of 
all  clean  cattle,  and  of  every  clean  fowl,  and  offered  burnt- 
offerings  on  the  altar.  21.  And  the  Lord  smelled  the  sweet 
savor  ;  and  the  Lord  said  in  his  heart,  I  will  not  again  curse 
the  soil  any  more  on  account  of  man,  because  the  imagination 
of  man's  heart  is  evil  from  his  youth  ;  neither  will  I  again 
smite  any  more  all  living  as  I  have  done.  22.  Henceforth  all 
the  days  of  the  earth,  sowing  and  reaping,  and  cold  and  heat, 
and  summer  and  winter,  and  day  and  night  shall  not  cease. 


GEN.  VIII.  15-22.  199 

15-19.  The  command  to  leave  the  ark  is  given  and  obeyed.  As 
Noah  did  not  enter,  so  neither  does  he  leave  the  ark,  without  divine 
direction.  The  fowl,  the  cattle,  and  the  creeper.  Here,  again,  these 
three  classes  are  specified  under  the  general  head  of  every  living 
thing.  They  are  again  to  multiply  on  the  earth.  19,  Every  living 
thing.  This  evidently  takes  the  place  of  the  cattle  mentioned  before. 
After  their  families.  This  word  denotes  their  tribes.  It  is  usually 
applied  to  families  or  clans. 

20-22.  The  offering  of  Noah  accepted.  The  return  to  the  dry 
land,  through  the  special  mercy  of  God  to  Noah  and  his  house,  is  cel- 
ebrated by  an  offering  of  thanksgiving  and  faith.  Builded  an  altar. 
Tllis  is  the  first  mention  of  the  altar,  or  structure  for  the  purpose  of 
sacrifice.  The  Lord  is  now  on  high,  having  swept  away  the  garden, 
and  withdrawn  his  visible  presence  at  the  same  time  from  the  earth. 
The  altar  is  therefore  erected  to  point  towards  his  dwelling-^^lace  on 
high.  Unto  the  Lord.  The  personal  name  of  God  is  peculiarly 
appropriate  here,  as  he  has  proved  himself  a  covenant  keeper  and  a 
deliverer  to  Noah.  Of  all  clean  cattle,  and  every  clean  fowl.  The 
mention  of  clean  birds  renders  it  probable  that  these  only  were  taken 
into  the  ark  by  seven  pairs  (Gen.  vii.  3).  Every  fit  animal  is  included 
in  this  sacrifice,  as  it  is  expressive  of  thanksgiving  for  a  complete 
deliverance.  We  have  also  here  the  first  mention  of  the  burnt-offer- 
ing (nbi?)  ;  the  whole  victim,  except  the  skin,  being  burned  on  the 
altar.  Sacrifice  is  an  act  in  which  the  transgressor  slays  an  animal 
and  offers  it  in  whole,  or  in  part  as  representative  of  the  whole,  to 
God.  In  this  act  he  acknowledges  his  guilt,  the  claim  of  the  offended 
law  upon  his  life,  and  the  mercy  of  the  Lord  m  accepting  a  substitute 
to  satisfy  this  claim  for  the  returning  penitent.  He  at  the  same  time 
actually  accepts  the  mercy  of  the  Most  High,  and  comes  forward  to 
plead  it  in  the  appointed  way  of  reconciliation.  The  burnt-offering  is 
the  most  perfect  symbol  of  this  substitution,  and  most  befitting  the 
present  occasion,  when  life  lias  been  granted  to  the  inmates  of  the  ark 
amidst  the  universal  death. 

21.  The  effect  of  this  plea  is  here  described.  The  Lord  smelled 
the  sweet  savor.  He  accepted  the  typical  substitute,  and,  on  account 
of  the  sacrifice,  the  offerers,  the  surviving  ancestors  of  the  post-dilu- 
vian race.  Thus  the  reentrance  of  the  remnant  of  mankind  upon  the 
joys  and  tasks  of  life  is  inaugurated  by  an  articulate  confession  of  sin, 
a  well-understood  foreshadowing  of  the  coming  victim  for  human 
guilt,  and  a  gracious  acceptance  of  this  act  of  faith.     The  Lord  said 


200  THE  ARK  LEFT. 

in  his  heart.  It  is  the  inward  resolve  of  his  will.  The  purpose  of 
mercj  is  then  expressed  in  a  definite  form,  suited  to  the  present  cir- 
cumstances of  the  delivered  family.  I  will  not  again  curse  the  soil  any 
more  on  account  of  man.  This  seems  at  first  sight  to  imply  a  mitiga- 
tion of  the  hardship  and  toil  which  man  was  to  experience  in  cultiva- 
ting the  ground  (Gen.  iii.  17).  At  all  events,  this  very  toil  is  turned 
into  a  blessing  to  him  who  returns  from  his  sin  and  guilt,  to  accept  the 
mercy,  and  live  to  the  glory  of  his  Maker  and  Saviour.  But  the  main 
reference  of  the  passage  is  doubtless  to  the  curse  of  a  deluge  such  as 
that  which  was  now  past.  This  will  not  be  renewed.  Because  the 
imagination  of  his  heart  is  evil  from  his  youth.  This  is  the  reason  for 
the  past  judgment,  the  curse  upon  the  soil :  not  for  the  present  promise 
of  a  respite  for  the  future.  Accordingly,  it  is  to  be  taken  in  close  con- 
nection with  the  cursing  of  the  soil,  of  which  it  assigns  the  judicial 
cause.  It  is  explanatory  of  the  preceding  phrase,  on  account  of  man. 
The  reason  for  the  promise  of  escape  from  the  fear  of  a  deluge  for  the 
future  is  the  sacrifice  of  Noah,  the  priest  and  representative  of  the 
race,  with  which  the  Lord  is  well  pleased.  The  closing  sentence  of 
this  verse  is  a  reiteration  in  a  more  explicit  form  of  the  same  promise. 
Neither  will  I  again  smite  all  living  as  I  have  done.  There  will  be  no 
repetition  of  the  deluge  that  had  just  overswept  the  land  and  destroyed 
the  inhabitants. 

22.  Henceforth  all  the  clays  of  the  earth.  After  these  negative 
assurances  come  the  positive  blessings  to  be  permanently  enjoyed 
while  the  present  constitution  of  the  earth  continues.  These  are 
summed  up  in  the  following  terms : 


(  Sowing,  beginning  in  October. 
Heat.    |  Reaping,  ending  in  June. 
Cold     i  Early  fruit,  in  July. 

\  Fruit  harvest,  ending  in  September. 


The  cold  properly  occupies  the  interval  between  sowing  and  reap- 
ing, or  the  months  of  January  and  February.  From  July  to  Septem- 
ber is  the  period  of  heat.  In  Palestine,  the  seedtune  began  in 
October  or  November,  when  the  wheat  was  sown.  Barley  was  not 
generally  sown  till  January.  The  grain  harvest  began  early  in  May, 
and  continued  in  June.  The  early  fruits,  such  as  gi-apes  and  figs,  made 
their  appearance  in  July  and  August ;  the  full  ingathering,  in  Septem- 
ber and  October.  But  the  passage  before  us  is  not  limited  to  the 
seasons  of  any  particular  country.     Besides  the  seasons,  it  guarantees 


GEX.  Vin.  15-22.  201 

tlie  continuance  of  the  agreeable  vicissitudes  of  day  and  niglit.  It  is 
probable  that  even  these  could  not  be  distinguished  during  part  of  the 
deluge  of  waters.  At  aU  events,  they  did  not  present  any  sensible 
change  when  darkness  reigned  over  the  primeval  abyss. 

The  term  of  this  continuance  is  here  defined.  It  is  to  last  as  long 
as  the  order  of  things  introduced  by  the  six  days'  creation  endures. 
This  order  is  not  to  be  sempiternal.  "When  the  race  of  man  has  been 
fiUed  up,  it  is  here  hinted  that  the  present  system  of  nature  on  the 
earth  may  be  expected  to  give  place  to  another  and  a  higher  order  of 
things. 

Here  it  is  proper  to  observe  the  mode  of  Scripture  in  the  promise 
of  blessing.  In  the  infancy  of  mankind,  when  the  eye  gazed  on  the 
present,  and  did  not  penetrate  into  the  future,  the  Lord  promised  the 
immediate  and  the  sensible  blessings  of  life,  because  these  alone  are  as 
yet  intelligible  to  the  childlike  race,  and  they  are,  at  the  same  time,  the 
immediate  earnest  of  endless  blessings.  As  the  mind  developes,  and 
the  observable  universe  becomes  more  fully  comprehended,  these  pres- 
ent and  sensible  sources  of  creature  happiness  correspondingly  expand, 
and  higher  and  more  ethereal  blessings  begin  to  dawn  upon  the  mind. 
When  the  prospect  of  death  opens  to  the  believer  a  new  and  hitherto 
unknown  world  of  reality,  then  the  temporal  and  corporeal  give  way 
to  the  eternal  and  spiritual.  And  as  with  the  individual,  so  is  it  with 
the  race.  The  present  boon  is  the  earnest  in  hand,  fuUy  satisfying  the 
existing  aspirations  of  the  infantile  desire.  But  it  is  soon  found  that 
the  present  is  always  the  bud  of  the  future ;  and  as  the  volume  of 
promise  is  unrolled,  piece  by  piece,  before  the  eye  of  the  groAving 
race,  while  the  pi'esent  and  the  sensible  lose  nothing  of  their  intrinsic 
value,  the  opening  glories  of  intellectual  and  spiritual  enjoyment  add 
an  indescribable  zest  to  the  blessedness  of  a  perpetuated  life.  Let  not 
us,  then,  who  flow  in  the  full  tide  of  the  latter  day,  despise  the  rudi- 
ment of  blessing  in  the  first  form  in  which  it  was  conferred  on  Noah 
and  his  descendants ;  but  rather  remember  that  is  not  the  whole  con- 
tent of  the  divine  good-will,  but  only  the  present  shape  of  an  ever- 
expanding  felicity,  which  is  limited  neither  by  time  nor  sense. 
26 


202  THE  BLESSING  OF  NOAH. 


XXVIII.    THE  BLESSING  OF  NOAH.  — Gen.  ix.  1-7. 

2.  X'nia  fear,  reverence,  awful  deed.  nn  dread,  breaking  of  the 
courage. 

IX.  1.  And  God  blessed  Noah  and  his  sons;  and  lie  said 
unto  them,  Bo  fruitful,  and  multiply,  and  replenish  the  earth. 
2.  And  the  fear  of  you  and  the  dread  of  you  shall  l^e  upon 
every  beast  of  tb.e  land,  and  upon  every  fowl  of  the  skies  : 
with  all  that  creepeth  on  the  soil,  and  with  all  the  fishes  of  the 
sea,  into  your  hand  are  they  given.  3.  Every  creeper  that  is 
alive  shall  be  food  for  you  :  as  the  green  herb  have  I  given  you 
all.  4.  Only  flesh  with  its  life,  its  blood,  shall  ye  not  eat.  5.  And 
also  your  blood  of  your  lives  will  I  require,  from  the  hand  of 
every  beast  will  I  require  it  ;  and  from  the  hand  of  man,  from 
the  hand  each  of  his  brother,  will  I  require  the  life  of  man. 
6.  Whoso  sheddeth  man's  blood,  by  man  shall  his  blood  be 
shed ;  for  in  the  image  of  God  hath  lie  made  man.  7.  And 
you,  be  fruitful  and  multiply  ;  abound  in  the  earth,  and  mul- 
tiply therein.  §  16. 

Noah  is  saved  from  the  deluge.  His  life  is  twice  given  to  him  by 
God.  He  had  found  grace  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  and  now  he  and 
his  family  have  been  graciously  accepted  when  they  approached  the 
Lord  with  burnt-offerings.  In  him,  therefore,  the  race  of  man  is  to  be 
begun  anew.  Accordingly,  as  at  the  beginning,  tlie  Lord  proceeds  tO' 
bless  him.  1st.  The  grant  of  increase  is  the  same  as  at  first,  but 
expressed  in  ampler  terms.  2d.  Dominion  over  the  other  animals  is 
renewed.  But  some  reluctance  on  their  part  to  yield  obedience  is 
intimated.  The  fear  and  dread  of  you.  These  terms  give  token  of 
a  master  whose  power  is  dreaded,  rather  than  of  a  superior  whose 
friendly  protection  is  sought.  Into  your  hand  are  they  given.  They 
are  placed  entirely  at  the  disposal  of  man. 

3.  Tlie  grant  of  sustenance  is  no  longer  confined  to  the  vegetable, 
but  extended  to  the  animal  kinds,  with  two  solemn  restrictions.  This 
explains  how  fully  the  animals  arc  handed  over  to  the  will  of  man. 


GEN.  IX.  1-7.  203 

They  were  slain  for  sacrifice  from  the  earliest  time?.  Wlietlier  they 
were  used  for  food  before  this  time  we  are  not  informed.  But  now 
every  creeper  that  is  alive  is  granted  for  food.  Every  creeper  is  every 
thing  that  moves  with  the  body  prone  to  the  earth,  and  therefore  in  a 
creeping  posture.  This  seems  to  describe  the  inferior  animals  in  con- 
tradistinction to  man,  who  walks  erect.  The  phrase  that  is  alive  seems 
to  exclude  animals  that  have  died  a  natural  death  from  being  used  as 
food. 

4.  The  first  restriction  on  the  grant  of  animal  food  is  thus  expressed  : 
Flesh  with  its  life,  its  hlood,  shall  ye  not  eat.  The  animal  must  be  slain 
before  any  part  of  it  is  used  for  food.  And  as  it  lives  so  long  as  the 
blood  flows  in  its  veins,  the  life-blood  must  be  drawn  before  its  flesh 
may  be  eaten.  The  design  of  this  restriction  is  to  prevent  the  horrid 
cruelty  of  mutilating  or  cooking  an  animal  while  yet  alive  and  capable 
of  suffering  pain.  The  draining  of  the  blood  from  the  body  is  an  ob- 
vious occasion  of  death,  and  therefore  the  prohibition  to  eat  the  fiesh 
with  the  blood  of  life  is  a  needful  restraint  from  savage  cruelty.  It  is 
also  intended,  perhaps,  to  teach  that  the  life  of  the  animal,  which  is  in 
the  blood,  belongs  not  to  man,  but  to  God  himself,  who  gave  it.  He 
makes  account  of  it  for  atonement  in  sacrifice  ;  otherwise  it  is  to  be 
poured  on  the  ground  and  covered  with  dust  (Lev.  xvii.  11-13). 

5,  6.  The  second  restriction  guards  human  life.  The  shedding  of 
human  blood  is  sternly  prohibited.  Your  hlood  of  your  lives.  The 
blood  which  belongs  to  your  lives,  which  constitutes  the  very  life  of 
your  corporeal  nature.  }7ill  I  require.  I,  the  Lord,  will  find  the 
murderer  out,  and  exact  the  penalty  of  his  crime.  The  very  beast 
that  causes  the  death  of  man  shall  be  slain.  The  suicide  and  the  hom- 
icide are  alike  accountable  to  God  for  the  shedding  of  man's  blood. 
6.  The  penalty  of  murder  is  here  proclaimed,  —  death  for  death.  It  is 
an  instance  of  the  law  of  retaliation.  This  is  an  axiom  of  moral  equity. 
He  that  deprives  another  of  any  propei'ty  is  bound  to  make  it  good  or 
to  suffer  the  like  loss. 

The  first  law  promulgated  in  Scripture  was  that  between  Creator 
and  creature.  If  the  creature  refuse  to  the  Creator  the  obedience  due, 
he  forfeits  all  the  Creator  has  given  him,  and,  therefore,  his  life.  Hence, 
when  Cain  murdered  his  brother,  he  only  displayed  a  new  development 
of  that  sin  which  was  in  him,  and,  being  already  condemned  to  the 
extreme  penalty  under  the  first  transgression,  had  only  a  minor  punish- 
ment annexed  to  his  personal  crime.  And  so  it  continued  to  be  in  the 
antediluvian  world.     No  civil  law  is  on  record  for  the  restriction  of 


204  THE  BLESSING  OF  NOAH. 

crime.  Cain,  indeed,  feared  the  natural  vengeance  whicli  his  con- 
science told  him  his  sin  deserved.  But  it  was  not  competent  in  equity 
for  the  private  individual  to  undertake  the  enforcement  of  the  penalties 
of  natural  law.  So  long  as  the  law  was  between  Creator  and  creature, 
God  himself  was  not  only  the  sole  legislator,  but  the  sole  administrator 
of  law. 

The  second  law  is  that  between  creature  and  creature,  which  is  here 
introduced  on  the  occasion  of  giving  permission  to  partake  of  animal 
food,  as  the  first  was  published  on  that  of  granting  the  use  of  vegetable 
diet.  In  the  former  case,  God  is  the  administrator  of  the  law,  as  he  is 
the  immediate  and  sovereign  party  in  the  legal  compact.  In  the  latter 
case,  man  is,  by  the  express  appointment  of  the  Lord  of  all,  constituted 
the  executive  agent.  By  man  shall  his  hlood  he  shed.  Here,  then,  is 
the  formal  institution  of  civil  government.  Here  the  civil  sword  is 
committed  to  the  charge  of  man.  The  judgment  of  death  by  the  exe- 
cutioner is  solemnly  delegated  to  man  in  vindication  of  human  life. 
This  trust  is  conveyed  in  the  most  general  terms.  By  man.  The  di- 
vine legislator  does  not  name  the  sovereign,  define  his  powers,  or  deter- 
mine the  law  of  succession.  All  these  practical  conditions  of  a  stable 
government  are  left  open  questions.  The  emphasis  is  laid  solely  on 
man.  On  man  is  impressively  laid  the  obligation  of  instituting  a  civil 
constitution  suited  to  his  present  fallen  condition.  On  the  nation  as  a 
body  it  is  an  incumbent  duty  to  select  the  sovereign,  to  form  the  civil 
compact  between  prince  and  people,  to  settle  the  prerogative  of  the 
sovereign  and  the  rights  of  the  subjects,  to  fix  the  order  of  succession, 
to  constitute  the  legislative,  judicial,  and  administrative  bodies,  and  to 
render  due  submission  to  the  constituted  authorities.  And  all  these 
arrangements  are  to  be  made  according  to  tlie  principles  of  Scripture 
and  the  light  of  nature. 

The  reason  v^^hy  retribution  is  exacted  in  the  case  of  man  is  here 
also  given.  For  in  the  image  of  God  has  he  made  man.  This  points 
on  the  one  hand  to  the  function  of  the  magistrate,  and  on  the  other 
to  the  claims  of  the  violated  law ;  and  in  both  respects  illustrates  the 
meaning  of  being  created  in  the  image  of  God.  Man  resembles  God 
in  this,  that  he  is  a  moral  being,  judging  of  right  and  wrong,  endowed 
with  reason  and  Avill,  .and  capable  of  holding  and  exercising  rights. 
Hence  he  is  in  the  first  place  competent  to  rule,  and  on  his  creation 
authorized  to  exercise  a  mild  and  moral  sway  over  the  inferior  crea- 
tures. His  capacity  to  govern  even  among  his  fellow-men  is  now 
reco«nized.     The  function  of  self-government  in  civil    things  is  now 


GEX.  IX.  1-7.  205 

conferred  upon  man.  When  duly  called  to  the  office,  he  is  declared  to 
be  at  liberty  to  dischai'ge  the  part  of  a  ruler  among  hi.s  fellow-men,  and 
is  entitled  on  the  ground  of  this  divine  arrangement  to  claim  the  obe- 
dience of  those  who  are  under  his  sway.  He  must  rule  in  the  Lord, 
and  they  must  obey  in  the  Lord. 

But,  in  the  nest  place,  man  is  capable  of,  and  has  been  actually 
endowed  with,  rights  of  property  in  himself,  his  children,  his  indus- 
trial products,  his  purchases,  his  receipts  in  the  way  of  gift,  and  his 
claims  by  covenant  or  promise.  He  can  also  recognize  such  rights  in 
another.  When,  thei-efore,  he  is  deprived  of  anything  belonging  to 
him,  he  is  sensible  of  being  wronged,  and  feels  that  the  wrongdoer  is 
bound  to  make  reparation  by  giving  back  that  which  he  has  taken 
away,  or  an  equivalent  in  its  place.  This  is  the  law  of  requital,  which 
is  the  universal  principle  of  justice  between  the  wrongdoer  and  the 
wrong-sufferer.  Hence  the  blood  of  him  who  sheds  blood  is  to  be 
shed.  And,  in  setting  up  a  system  of  human  government,  the  most 
natural  and  obvious  case  is  given,  according  to  the  manner  of  Scripture, 
as  a  sample  of  the  law  by  which  punishment  is  to  be  inflicted  on  the 
transgressor  in  proportion  to  his  crime.  The  case  in  point  accordingly 
arises  necessarily  out  of  the  permission  to  use  animal  food,  which 
requires  to  be  guarded  on  the  one  hand  by  a  provision  against  cruelty 
to  animals,  and,  on  the  other,  by  an  enactment  forbidding  the  taking 
away  of  human  life,  on  the  pain  of  death,  by  order  of  the  civil  magis- 
trate. This  case,  then,  turns  out  to  be  the  most  heinous  crime  which 
man  can  commit  against  his  fellow-man,  and  strikingly  exemplifies  the 
great  common  principle  of  retributive  justice. 

The  brute  is  not  a  moral  being,  and  has,  therefore,  no  proper  rights 
in  itself.  Its  blood  may  therefore  be  shed  with  impunity.  Neverthe- 
less, man,  because  he  is  a  moral  being,  owes  a  certain  negative  duty  to 
the  brute  animal,  because  it  is  capable  of  pain.  He  is  not  to  inflict 
gratuitous  or  unnecessary  suffering  on  a  being  susceptible  of  such 
torture.  Hence  the  propriety  of  the  blood  being  shed  before  the  flesh 
is  used  for  food.  Life,  and  therefore  the  sense  of  pain,  is  extinguished 
when  the  blood  is  withdrawn  from  the  veins. 


206  THE  COVENANT  WITH  NOAH. 


XXIX.    THE  COVENANT  WITH  NOAH.  — Gen.  ix.  8-17. 

13.  ndp  hoio ;  r.  he  bent. 

14.  ')5:^  cover,  cast  over  ;  n.  cloud. 

8.  And  God  said  unto  Noah,  and  to  his  sons  with  him,  say- 
ing, 9.  And  I,  behold,  I  establish  my  covenant  with  3^ou,  and 
with  your  seed  after  you,  10.  And  with  every  breathing 
living  tiling  that  is  with  you,  in  the  fowl,  in  the  cattle,  and  in 
every  beast  of  the  land  with  you,  from  all  that  come  out  of 
the  ark  to  every  beast  of  the  land.  11.  And  I  have  estab- 
lished my  covenant  with  you  ;  and  all  flesh  shall  not  be  cut 
off  any  more  l)y  the  waters  of  a  flood,  neither  shall  there  be 
any  more  a  flood  to  destroy  the  land. 

12.  And  God  said.  This  is  the  token  of  the  covenant  which 
I  give  between  me  and  you  and  every  breathing  living  thing 
that  is  with  you  for  perpetual  ages :  13.  My  bow  have  I  given 
in  the  cloud,  and  it  shall  be  a  token  of  a  covenant  between  me 
and  the  land,  14.  And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  when  I  bring  a 
cloud  over  the  land,  that  the  bow  shall  be  seen  in  the  cloud. 
15.  And  I  will  remember  my  covenant,  which  is  between  me 
and  you.  and  every  breathing  living  thing  of  all  flesh  ;  and 
the  water  shall  no  more  be  a  flood  to  destroy  all  flesh.  16.  And 
the  bow  shall  be  in  the  cloud,  and  I  will  look  upon  it,  to 
remember  the  perpetual  covenant  between  God  and  every 
breathing  living  thing  of  all  flesh  that  is  upon  the  land. 

17.  And  God  said  unto  Noah,  This  is  the  token  of  the  cov- 
enant, v/hich  I  have  established  between  me  and  all  flesh  that 
is  upon  the  land.  1  12. 


The  covenant  made  with  Noah  (Gen.  vi.  18)  is  now  formally  con- 
firiucd.  The  purpose  conceived  in  the  heart  (Gen.  viii.  21)  now  re- 
ceives significant  expression.  Not  only  a  new  blessing  is  bestowed, 
but  aL-o  a  new  covenant  is  formed  with  Noah.     For  he  that  has  offered 


GEN.  IX.  8-17.  207 

an  acceptable  sacrifice  is  not  only  at  peace  with  God,  but  renewed  in 
mind  after  the  image  of  God.  He  is  therefore  a  fit  subject  for  enter- 
ing into  a  covenant. 

8-11.  Unto  Noah  and,  to  his  sons.  God  addresses  the  sons  of 
Noah  as  the  progenitors  of  the  future  race.  9.  /  establish.  He  not 
merely  makes  (r.^3),  but  ratifies,  his  covenant  with  them.  My  covenant. 
The  covenant  which  was  before  mentioned  to  Noah  in  the  directions 
concerning  the  making  of  the  ark,  and  which  was  really,  though  tacitly, 
formed  with  Adam  in  the  garden. 

9,  10.  The  party  with  whom  God  now  enters  into  covenant  is  here 
fully  described.  Tote,  and  your  seed  after  you,  and  every  breathing 
living  thing  ;  the  latter  merely  on  accoitnt  of  the  former.  The  animals 
are  specially  mentioned  because  they  partake  in  the  special  benefit  of 
preservation  from  a  flood,  which  is  guaranteed  in  this  covenant.  There 
is  a  remarkable  expression  employed  here,  —  From  all  that  come  out  of 
the  arh,  to  every  beast  of  the  land.  It  seems  to  imply  that  the  beast 
of  the  land,  or  the  wild  beast,  was  not  among  those  that  came  out  of 
the  ark,  and,  therefore,  not  aniong  those  that  went  in.  This  coincides 
with  the  view  we  have  given  of  the  inmates  of  the  ark, 

11.  The  benefits  conferred  by  this  form  of  God's  covenant  are  here 
specified.  First,  all  flesh  shall  no  more  be  cut  off  by  a  flood ;  secondly, 
the  land  shall  no  more  be  destroyed  by  this  means.  The  Lord  has 
been  true  to  his  promise  in  saving  Noah  and  his  family  from  the  flood 
of  waters.  He  now  perpetuates  his  promise  by  assuring  him  that  the 
land  would  not  again  be  overwhelmed  with  water.  This  is  the  new 
and  present  blessing  of  the  covenant.  Its  former  blessings  are  not 
abrogated,  but  only  confirmed  and  augmented  by  the  present.  Other 
and  higher  benefits  will  flow  out  of  this  to  those  who  rightly  receive 
it,  even  throughout  the  ages  of  eternity.  The  present  benefit  is  shared 
by  the  whole  race  descended  from  Noah. 

12-lG.  The  token  of  the  covenant  is  now  pointed  out.  For  perpet- 
ual ages.  This  stability  of  sea  and  land  is  to  last  during  the  remainder 
of  the  human  period.  What  is  to  happen  when  the  race  of  man  is 
completed,  is  not  the  question  at  present.  13.  My  bow.  As  God's 
covenant  is  the  well-known  and  still  remembered  compact  formed  v/ith 
man  when  the  command  was  issued  in  the  Garden  of  Eden,  so  God's 
bow  is  the  primeval  arch,  coexistent  with  the  rays  of  light  and  the 
drops  of  rain.  It  is  caused  by  the  rays  of  the  sun  reflected  from  the 
falling  raindrops  at  a  particular  angle  to  the  eye  of  the  spectator.  A 
beautiful  arch  of  reflected  and  refracted  light  is  in  this  Avay  formed  for 


208  THE  COVENANT  WITH  NOAH. 

every  eye.  The  rainbow  is  thus  fin  index  that  the  sky  is  not  wholly 
overcast,  since  the  sun  is  shining  through  the  shower,  and  thereby 
demonstrating  its  partial  extent.  There  could  not,  therefore,  be  a 
more  beautiful  or  fitting  token  that  there  shall  be  no  more  a  flood  to 
sweep  away  all  flesh  and  destroy  the  land.  It  comes  with  its  mild 
radiance  only  when  the  cloud  condenses  into  a  shower.  It  consists 
of  heavenly  light,  variegated  in  hue,  and  mellowed  in  lustre,  filling 
the  beholder  with  an  involuntary  pleasure.  It  forms  a  perfect  arch, 
extends  as  far  as  the  shower  extends,  connects  heaven  and  earth,  and 
spans  the  horizon.  In  these  respects  it  is  a  beautiful  emblem  of  mercy 
rejoicing  against  judgment,  of  light  from  heaven  irradiating  and  beat- 
ifying the  soul,  of  grace  always  suflicient  for  the  need  of  the  reunion 
of  earth  and  heaven,  and  of  the  universality  of  the  offer  of  salvation. 
Have  I  given.  The  rainbow  existed  as  long  as  the  present  laws  of 
light  and  air.  But  it  is  now  mentioned  for  the  first  time,  because  it 
now  becomes  the  fitting  sign  of  security  from  another  universal  deluge, 
which  is  the  peculiar  blessing  of  the  covenant  in  its  present  form.  In 
the  cloud.  When  a  shower-cloud  is  spread  over  the  sky,  the  bow 
appears,  if  the  sun,  the  cloud,  and  the  spectator  are  in  the  proper  re- 
lation to  one  another.  16.  And  I  will  look  upon  it  to  remember.  The 
Scripture  is  most  unhesitating  and  frank  in  ascribing  to  God  all  the 
attributes  and  exercises  of  personal  freedom.  While  man  looks  on 
the  bow  to  recall  the  promise  of  God,  God  himself  looks  on  it  to  re- 
member and  perform  this  promise.  Here  fi-eedom  and  immutability 
of  purpose  meet. 

The  covenant  here  ostensibly  refers  to  the  one  point  of  the  absence, 
for  all  time  to  come,  of  any  danger  to  the  human  race  from  a  deluge. 
But  it  presupposes  and  supplements  the  covenant  with  man  subsisting 
from  the  very  beginning.  It  is  clearly  of  grace ;  for  the  Lord  in  the 
very  terms  afiirms  the  fact  that  the  imagination  of  man's  heart  is  evil 
from  his  youth,  while  at  the  same  time  the  original  transgression  be- 
longed to  the  vvdiole  race.  The  condition  by  which  any  man  becomes 
interested  in  it  is  not  expressed,  but  easily  understood  from  the  nature 
of  a  covenant,  a  promise,  and  a  sign,  all  of  which  require  of  us  con- 
senting faith  in  the  party  who  covenants,  promises,  and  gives  the  sign. 
The  meritorious  condition  of  the  covenant  of  grace  is  dimly  shadowed 
forth  in  the  burnt-offerings  which  Noah  presented  on  coming  out  of 
the  ark.  One  thing,  liowever,  was  surely  and  clearly  revealed  to  the 
early  saints  ;  namely,  the  mercy  of  God.  Assured  of  this,  they  were 
prepared  humbly  to  believe  that  all  would  redound  to  the  glory  of  his 


GEN.  IX.  18-29.  209 

holiness,  justice,  and  truth,  as  well  as  of  his  mercy,  grace,  and  love, 
though  they  might  not  yet  fully  understand  how  this  would  be  accom- 
plished. 

17.  God  seems  here  to  direct  Noah's  attention  to  a  rainbow  actually 
existing  at  the  time  in  the  sky,  and  presenting  to  the  patriarch  the 
assurance  of  the  promise,  with  all  the  impressiveness  of  reality. 


XXX.    THE  PROPHECY  OF  NOAH.  — Gen.  ix.  18-29. 

18.  "jSiS  Kena'an,  bowed  down. 

19.  yS3  break,  scatter,  spread.     'j^^lQ  break,  scatter,  Jlow. 

20.  D";3  orchard,  vineyard. 

21.  "{''^wine;  v.  ferment. 

18.  And  the  sons  of  Noah  that  came  forth  from  the  ark, 
were  Shem  and  Ham  and  Japheth  ;  and  Ham  was  the  father 
of  Kenaan.  19.  These  three  were  the  sons  of  Noah  ;  and  of 
them  was  the  whole  land  overspread. 

20.  And  Noah  began  to  be  a  man  of  the  soil ;  and  he  planted 
a  vineyard.  21.  And  he  drank  of  the  whie,  and  was  drunken; 
and  he  was  uncovered  in  the  midst  of  his  tent.  22.  And 
Ham,  the  father  of  Kenaan,  saw  the  nakedness  of  his  father ; 
and  he  told  his  two  brethren  without.  23.  And  Shem  and 
Japheth  took  the  garment  and  laid  it  on  the  shoulder  of  them 
both,  and  went  backward,  and  covered  the  nakedness  of  their 
father ;  and  their  faces  were  backward,  and  they  saw  not  their 
father's  nakedness.  24.  And  Noah  awoke  from  his  wine,  and 
knew  what  his  youngest  son  had  done  unto  him.  25.  And  he 
said, 

Cursed  be  Kenaan. 

A  servant  of  servants  shall  he  be  unto  his  brethren. 
26.  And  he  said. 

Blessed  be  the  Lord,  the  God  of  Shem ; 
And  Kenaan  shall  be  servant  unto  them. 
27 


210  THE  PROPHECY  OF  NOAH. 

27.  God  shall  enlarge  Japheth, 

And  he  shall  dwell  in  the  tents  of  Shem; 
And  Kenaan  shall  be  servant  unto  them. 

28.  And  Noah  lived  after  the  flood  three  hundred  and  fifty 
years.  29.  And  all  the  days  of  Noah  were  nine  hundred  and 
fifty  years,  and  he  died.  IT  13. 

After  the  blessing  on  the  new  heads  of  the  human  race  has  been 
pronounced,  and  the  covenant  with  them  renewed,  we  are  prepared 
for  a  new  development  of  human  action.  Tliis  appears,  however,  in 
the  form  of  an  event  which  is  itself  a  meet  preliminary  to  the  subse- 
quent stage  of  affairs.  The  prophecy  of  Noah,  delivered  in  the  shape 
of  a  solemn  paternal  doom,  pronounced  upon  his  three  sons,  sketches 
in  a  few  striking  traits  the  future  history  of  the  separate  families  of 
mankind. 

18,  19.  The  two  verses  form  a  connecting  link  between  the  preceding 
and  the  following  passage.  After  the  recital  of  the  covenant,  comes 
naturally  the  statement,  that  by  the  three  sons  of  Noah,  duly  enumer- 
ated, was  the  whole  land  overspread.  This  forms  a  fit  conclusion 
to  the  previous  paragraph.  But  the  penman  of  these  sentences  had 
evidently  the  following  paragraph  in  view.  For  he  mentions  that 
Ham  was  the  father  of  Kenaan ;  which  is  plainly  the  preface  to  the 
following  narrative. 

20-27.  Then  comes  the  prediction,  which  has  a  peculiar  interest,  as 
the  first  prophetic  utterance  of  man  recorded  in  the  Old  Testament. 
The  occasion  of  it  is  first  stated.  Noah  becomes  a  man  of  the  soil. 
If  he  was  before  a  mechanic,  it  is  evident  he  must  now  attend  to  the 
cultivation  of  the  soil,  that  he  may  draw  from  it  the  means  of  subsist- 
ence. He  planted  a  vineyard.  God  was  the  first  planter  ( Gen.  ii.  8)  ; 
and  since  that  time  we  hear  nothing  of  the  cultivation  of  trees  till 
Noah  becomes  a  planter.  The  cultivation  of  the  vine  and  the  manu- 
facture of  wine  might  have  been  in  practice  before  this  time,. as  the 
mention  of  them  is  merely  incidental  to  the  present  narrative.  But  it 
seems  likely  from  what  follows,  that,  though  grapes  may  have  been  in 
use,  wine  had  not  been  extracted  from  them.  And  was  drunken.  We 
are  not  in  a  position  to  estimate  the  amount  of  Noah's  guilt  in  this  case, 
as  we  do  not  know  how  far  he  was  acquainted  with  the  properties  of 
wine.  But  we  should  take  warning  by  the  consequences,  and  beware 
©f  the  abuse  of  any  of  God's  gifts.     22.  Ham  the  father  of  Kenaan. 


GEN.  IX.  18-29.  211 

It  is  natural  to  suppose,  as  some  have  clone,  that  Kenaan  had  some- 
thing to  do  with  the  guilt  of  this  act.  But  there  is  no  clear  indication 
of  this  in  the  text,  and  Kenaan's  relationship  to  Ham  may  be  again 
mentioned  simply  in  anticipation  of  the  subsequent  prophecy.  Ham 
is  punished  in  his  youngest  son,  who  was  perhaps  a  favorite.  23.  The 
intention  of  this  act  is  eminently  pure  and  befitting  dutiful  sons.  The 
garment.  The  loose  mantle  or  shawl  which  was  used  for  wrapping 
round  the  body  when  going  to  sleep.  24.  The  actions  of  the  sons  in 
this  unpleasant  occurrence,  especially  that  of  Ham,  give  occasion  to 
the  following  prophetic  sentence:  His  youngest  son.  This  seems 
plainly  the  meaning  of  the  phi-ase  "iljiSfi  ija  his  son  the  little.  He  must 
be  regarded  here  as  contrasted  with  the  other  two,  and  therefore  dis- 
tinguished as  the  youngest. 

The  manner  of  Scripture  here  is  worthy  of  particular  remark.  First, 
the  prediction  takes  its  rise  from  a  characteristic  incident.  The  con- 
duct of  the  brothers  was  of  comparatively  slight  importance  in  itself, 
but  in  the  disposition  which  it  betrayed  it  was  highly  significant.  Sec- 
ondly, the  prediction  refers  in  terms  to  the  near  future  and  to  the 
outward  condition  of  the  parties  concerned.  Thirdly,  it  foreshadows 
under  these  familiar  phrases  the  distant  future,  and  the  inward,  as 
well  as  the  outward,  state  of  the  family  of  man.  Fourthly,  it  lays  out 
the  destiny  of  the  whole  race  from  its  very  starting-point.  These 
simple  laws  will  be  found  to  characterize  the  main  body  of  the  predic- 
tions of  Scripture. 

25-27.  The  prophecy  consists  of  two  parts,  —  a  malediction  and  a 
benediction.  25.  Cursed  be  Kenaan.  A  curse  (Gen.  iii.  14,  17, 
iv.  11)  is  any  privation,  inferiority,  or  other  ill,  expressed  in  the  form 
of  a  doom,  and  bearing,  not  always  upon  the  object  directly  expressed, 
but  upon  the  party  who  is  in  the  transgression.  Thus  the  soil  is  cursed 
on  account  of  Adam  the  transgressor  (Gen.  iii.  17).  It  is  apparent 
that  in  the  present  case  the  prime  mover  Avas  Ham,  who  is  therefore 
punished  in  the  prospect  of  a  curse  resting  on  his  posterity,  and  espe- 
cially on  a  particular  line  of  it.  Let  us  not  imagine,  however,  that  the 
ways  of  the  Lord  are  not  equal  in  this  matter ;  for  Kenaan  and  his 
descendants  no  doubt  abundantly  deserved  this  special  visitation.  And 
as  the  other  descendants  of  Ham  are  not  otherwise  mentioned  in  the 
prophecy,  we  may  presume  that  they  shared  in  the  curse  pronounced 
upon  Kenaan.  At  all  events,  they  are  not  expressly  included  in  the 
blessing  pronounced  on  the  other  two  divisions  of  the  human  family. 
It  is  proper  to  observe,  also,  that  this  prediction  docs  not  affirm  au 


212  THE  PROPHECY  OP  NOAH. 

absolute  perpetuity  in  the  doom  of  Ham  or  Kenaan.  It  only  delineates 
their  relative  condition  until  the  whole  race  is  again  brought  within 
the  scope  of  prophecy. 

A  servant  of  servants  shall  he  he  unto  Ms  brethren.  The  curse  here 
consists  in  servitude,  which  is  in  itself  an  inferiority,  and,  among  the 
children  of  self-will,  tends  more  and  more  to  all  the  horrid  ills  of 
slavery.  Slavery  originated  in  war  and  conquest.  The  mere  warrior 
put  the  captives  to  death,  the  cannibal  devoured  them,  the  economist 
fed  them  for  their  labor.  Accordingly,  slavery  soon  made  its  appear- 
ance in  all  countries  which  were  trodden  by  the  conqueror.  A  system 
of  slavery,  imposed  without  consent  and  for  no  crime,  is  a  dire  evil. 
Besides  the  direct  injustice  of  robbing  a  fellow-man  of  his  personal 
liberty,  it  dissolves  wedlock,  breaks  the  family  tie,  and  disregards  the 
conscience.  It  trades,  therefore,  in  the  souls  as  well  as  the  bodies  of 
men.  It  is  a  historical  fact  that  the  degradation  of  slavery  has  fallen 
especially  upon  the  race  of  Ham.  A  portion  of  the  Kenaanites  became 
bondsmen  among  the  Israelites,  who  were  of  the  race  of  Shem.  The 
early  Babylonians,  the  Phoenicians,  the  Carthaginians,  and  Egyptians, 
who  all  belonged  to  the  race  of  Ham,  were  subjugated  by  the  Assyrians, 
who  were  Shemires,  the  Persians,  the  Macedonians,  and  the  Romans, 
who  were  all  Japhcthites.  And  in  modern  times  it  is  well  known  that 
most  of  the  nations  of  Europe  traded  in  African  slaves.  A  servant  of 
servants  means  a  slave  of  the  most  abject  kind.  Unto  his  brethren. 
If  the  doom  of  slavery  be  refen-ed  to  the  race  of  Ham,  then  his  breth- 
ren are  the  descendants  of  Japheth  and  Shem,  who  have  held  many 
of  the  Hamites  in  bondage.  If  we  limit  the  sentence  to  Kenaan,  then 
his  brethren  may  include  the  other  descendants  of  Ham.  It  is  said 
that  the  servile  tribe  is  also  the  most  tyrannical ;  and  it  is  the  fact 
that  the  Africans  have  lent  themselves  to  the  forcible  seizing  and 
selhng  into  slavery  in  distant  lands  of  their  own  kinsmen  and  fellow- 
countrymen. 

26,  27.  And  he  said.  The  prediction  concerning  the  other  two 
brothers  is  a  distinct  utterance  of  Noah,  Blessed  be  Jehovah,  the  God 
of  Shem.  The  characteristic  boon  of  Shem  is  that  Jehovah,  the  one 
true,  living,  known  God,  is  his  God.  The  knowledge  and  worship  of 
the  Creator  is  preserved  in  the  family  of  Shem,  when  it  is  lost  or 
fatally  obscured  among  the  other  descendants  of  Noah.  Tlie  prophet 
is  so  conscious  of  the  unspeakable  blessing  of  knowing  and  loving  the 
true  God,  that  he  breaks  out  into  thanksgiving  in  the  very  act  of 
announcing  the  transcendent  privilege  of  Shem.     There  is  a  dark  side, 


GEN.  IX.  18-29.  213 

however,  to  this  prophetic  thought,  as  it  implies  that  the  two  other 
famines  of  mankind,  at  least  for  part  of  the  period  under  the  prophet's 
view,  were  estranged  from  the  true  and  living  God.  History  corrob- 
orates both  aspects  of  this  prophetic  sentence  for  the  space  of  two 
thousand  four  hundred  years.  During  the  most  part  of  this  long 
period  the  Holy  Jehovah  Omnipotent  was  unknown  to  the  great  mass 
of  the  Japhethites,  Hamites,  and  even  Shemites.  And  it  was  only  by 
the  special  election  and  consecration  of  an  individual  Shemite  to  be 
the  head  of  a  peculiar  people,  and  the  father  of  the  faithful,  that  he 
did  not  cease  to  be  the  God  of  even  a  remnant  of  Shem. 

Then  follows  the  refrain,  And  Kenaan  shall  be  servant  unto  them. 
The  phrase  unto  them  proves  that  Shem  here  comprehends  the  race 
descended  from  him,  and  consisting  of  many  individuals.  Scripture 
sees  the  race  in  the  father,  traces  up  its  unity  to  him,  discerns  in 
him  the  leading  traits  of  character  that  often  mark  his  remotest  pos- 
terity, and  identifies  with  him  in  destiny  all  those  of  his  race  w^ho 
continue  to  take  after  him.  Thus  Adam  denotes  the  whole  race,  Shem, 
Ham,  and  Japheth,  its  three  great  branches.  Attention  to  this  law  of 
the  unity,  continuity,  and  identity  of  a  race,  w^ll  aid  us  much  in  under- 
standing the  dealings  of  Providence  with  the  several  branches  of  the 
human  family.  We  learn  also  from  the  same  phrase  that  this  solemn 
sentence  is  no  mere  ebullition  of  the  personal  feelings  of  Noah.  He 
is  not  speaking  of  Shem  and  Kenaan  merely,  but  of  the  future  races 
that  are  to  spring  from  them.  This  appears  still  more  plainly  from 
the  fact  that  Japheth,  as  well  as  Ham,  is  described  as  long  estranged 
from  the  true  God.  And  now  that  we  are  on  spiritual  ground,  it 
ought  to  be  observed  that  Kenaan's  curse  is  not  exclusion,  either 
present  or  prospective,  from  the  mercy  of  God.  That  is  an  evil  he 
brings  on  himself  by  a  voluntary  departure  from  the  hving  God.  The 
curse  merely  affects  the  body,  —  the  personal  liberty.  It  is  a  mere 
degradation  from  some  of  the  natural  rights  of  our  common  humanity ; 
and  does  not  of  itself  cut  him  off  from  any  offer  of  mercy,  or  benefit  of 
repentant  faith. 

God  shall  enlarge  Japheth.  God  is  here  spoken  of  by  his  generic 
name.  This  intimates,  or  at  least  coincides,  with  the  fact  that  Japheth 
did  not  continue  that  nearness  of  approach  to  him  wdiich  is  implied  in 
the  use  of  the  personal  name.  There  is  in  the  original  a  play  upon 
the  word  Japheth,  which  itself  signifies  enlargement.  This  enlarge- 
ment is  the  most  striking  point  in  the  history  of  Japheth,  who  is  the 
progenitor  of  the  inhabitants  of  Europe,  Asia,  and  America,  except 


214  THE  PROPHECY  OF  NOAH. 

the  region  between  the  Persian  Gulf,  the  Eed  Sea,  the  Mediterranean, 
the  Euxine,  the  Caspian,  and  the  mountains  beyond  the  Tigris,  which 
was  the  main  seat  of  the  Shemites.  This  expansive  power  refers  not 
only  to  the  territory  and  the  multitude  of  the  Japhethites,  but  also  to 
their  intellectual  and  active  faculties.  The  metaphysics  of  the  Hindoos, 
the  philosophy  of  the  Greeks,  the  military  prowess  of  the  Romans, 
and  the  modern  science  and  civilization  of  the  world,  are  due  to  the 
race  of  Japheth.  And  though  the  moral  and  the  spiritual  were  first 
developed  among  the  Shemites,  yet  the  Japhethites  have  proved 
themselves  capable  of  rising  to  the  heights  of  these  lofty  themes,  and 
have  elaborated  that  noble  form  of  human  speech,  which  was  adopted, 
in  the  providence  of  God,  as  best  fitted  to  convey  to  mankind  that 
further  development  of  Old  Testament  truth  which  is  furnished  in  the 
Nevv. 

Aiid  he  shall  dwell  in  the  tents  of  Shem.  We  regard  Japheth  as 
the  subject  of  this  sentence ;  because,  if  God  wei-e  its  subject,  the 
meaning  would  be  substantially  the  same  as  the  blessing  of  Shem, 
already  given,  and  because  this  would  intermingle  the  blessing  of 
Shem  with  that  of  Japheth,  without  any  important  addition  to  our 
information.  Whereas,  when  Japheth  is  the  subject  of  the  sentence, 
we  learn  that  he  shall  dwell  in  the  tents  of  Shem  —  an  altogether  new 
proposition.  This  form  of  expression  does  not  indicate  a  direct  inva- 
sion and  conquest  of  the  land  of  Shem,  which  would  not  be  in  keeping 
•with  the  blessing  pronounced  on  him  in  the  previous  sentence  :  it 
rather  implies  that  this  dwelling  together  would  be  a  benefit  to  Japheth, 
and  no  injury  to  Shem.  Accordingly,  we  find  that  when  the  Persians 
conquered  the  Babylonian  eiBpire,  they  restored  the  Jews  to  their 
native  land ;  when  Alexander  the  Great  conquered  the  Persians,  he 
gave  protection  to  the  Jews  ;  and  when  the  Romans  subdued  the 
Greek  monarchy,  they  befriended  the  chosen  nation,  and  allowed 
them  a  large  measure  of  self-government.  In  their  time  came  the 
Messiah,  and  instituted  that  new  form  of  the  church  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment which  not  only  retained  the  best  part  of  the  ancient  people  of 
God,  but  extended  itself  over  the  whole  of  Europe,  the  chief  seat  of 
Japheth  ;  went  with  him  wherever  he  went ;  and  is  at  this  day,  through 
the  blessing  of  God  on  his  political  and  moral  influence,  penetrating 
into  the  moral  darkness  of  Ham,  as  well  as  the  remainder  of  Shem 
and  Japheth  himself.  Thus,  in  the  highest  of  all  senses,  Japheth  is 
dwelling  in  the  tents  of  Shem. 

Ao'ain  comes  the  refrain,  And  Kecnan  shall  he  servant  unto  them. 


GEN.  IX.  18-29.  215 

A  poi'tion  of  Japlieth  still  holds  a  portion  of  Ham  in  bondage.  But 
this  very  bondage  has  been  the  means  of  bringing  some  of  the  sons  of 
Ham  to  dwell  in  the  tents  of  Shem ;  and  the  day  is  not  far  distant 
when  Japheth  will  i-elinquish  altogether  the  compulsory  hold  upon  his 
brother,  and  consecrate  his  entire  moi-al  influence  over  him  to  the 
revival  in  his  race  of  the  knowledge  and  love  of  God  our  Father,  and 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

Thus  it  appears  that  the  destiny  of  these  three  great  branches  of  the 
Noachic  family,  during  the  time  of  their  separation  on  the  high  ques- 
tion of  their  relation  to  God,  is  traced  out  with  great  fidelity  in  this 
remarkable  prediction.  Ham  is  aptly  represented  by  Kenaan,  the 
slave,  who  is  seized,  enslaved,  and  sold  even  by  his  kinsmen  to  one 
another,  and  to  the  descendants  of  Shem  and  Japheth.  Shem  includes 
within  his  posterity  the  select  family  who  know  God  as  the  Lord,  the 
God  of  promise,  of  mercy,  of  salvation.  Japheth  is  enlarged  by  God, 
and  at  length  becomes  acquainted  with  him  whom  he  once  ignorantly 
worshipped.  The  historian  recognizes  these  as  salient  points  in  the 
experience  of  the  three  races,  so  long  as  they  continue  apart.  The 
time  is  approaching  when  this  strange  intermediate  development  will 
come  to  a  happy  issue,  in  the  reunion  of  all  the  members  of  the  human 
family,  according  to  clearer  and  further-reaching  prophecies  yet  to  be 
delivered. 

28,  29.  The  history  of  Noah  is  now  closed,  in  the  customary  form  of  the 
fifth  chapter.  This  marks  a  connection  between  the  third  and  fourth 
documents,  and  points  to  one  hand  as  the  composer,  or  at  least  compiler, 
of  both.  The  document  now  closed  could  not  have  had  the  last  para- 
graph appended  to  it  till  after  the  death  of  Noah.  But,  with  the 
exception  of  these  two  verses,  it  might  have  been  composed  hundreds 
of  years  before.  This  strongly  favors  the  notion  of  a  constant  contin- 
uator,  or,  at  all  events,  continuation  of  the  sacred  history.  Every 
new  prophet  and  inspired  writer  whom  God  raised  up  added  the 
necessary  portion  and  made  the  necessary  insertions  in  the  sacred 
record.  And  hence  the  Word  of  God  had  a  progressive  growth  and 
adaptation  to  the  successive  ages  of  the  church. 

The  present  document  stands  between  the  old  world  and  the  new. 
Hence  it  has  a  double  character,  being  the  close  of  the  antediluvian 
history,  and  the  introduction  to  that  of  the  postdiluvian  race.  It 
records  a  great  event,  pregnant  with  warning  to  all  future  generations 
of  men.  And  it  notes  the  delegation,  by  God  to  man,  of  authority  to 
punish  the  murderer  by  death,  and  therefore  to  enforce  all  the  minor 


216  THE  PEOPHECY  OP  NOAH. 

sanctions  of  law  for  breaclies  of  tlie  civil  compact.  It  therefore  points 
out  the  institution  of  civil  government  as  coming  from  God,  and  clearly 
exhibits  the  accountability  of  all  governments  to  God  for  all  the  pow- 
ers they  hold,  and  for  the  mode  in  which  they  are  exercised.  This 
also  is  a  great  historical  lesson  for  all  ages. 


SECTION  VIII.  — THE  NATIONS. 


XXXI.    JAPHETH.  —  Gen.  x.  1-5. 

2.  *irh  Gomer,  completion ;  r.  complete  ;  KtjU.ju,cpiot.  5i5?3  Magog, 
Caucasian,  Skytb.  ^''ro  Madai,  middle:  Mede.  ']y^  Javan ;  'lawv; 
Sanscr.,  Javana  ;  Old  Pers.,  Juna.  ^^n  Tubal ;  TL/Saprjvol.  Ti^^o  Me- 
shek,  drawing  possession,  valor  ;  M.6a-)(0L.     O'^'^'l  Tiras  ;  &pa.^. 

3.  i33'^s  Ashkenaz,  'Ao-Kavtos.  r3"i"i  Rii^hatli,  opt]  'PtVata.  tr^^jn 
Togarmah,  Thorgom,  ancestor  of  the  Armenians. 

4.  nd^^x  Elishah  ;  'HXts  'EAAa;,  AbXa;.  Tr^':3-!n  Tarshish,  breah- 
ing,  fastness :  Tartessus,  Tarsus,  Tyrseni.  t^ns  Kittim,  smiters  ; 
Citienses ;  Kapes  ;    C^P^H  Dodanim,  Dodona,  Dardani. 

5.  "iX  meadow,  land  reached  by  ivater,  island ;  r.  be  marhed  off  or 
hounded  (by  a  water  line),     "^'la  nation  ;  r.  be  born  ;  yeydaa-t. 

X.  1.  And  these  are  the  generations  of  the  sons  of  Noah  : 
Shem,  Ham,  and  Japheth  ;  and  unto  them  were  born  sons  after 
the  flood.  2.  The  sons  of  Japheth  :  Gomer  and  Magog  and 
Madai  and  Javan  and  Tubal  and  Meshek  and  Tiras.  8. 
And  the  sons  of  Gomer :  Ashkenaz  and  Riphath  and  Togar- 
mah. 4.  And  the  sons  of  Javan  :  Elishah  and  Tarshish  Kit- 
tim and  Dodanim.  5.  From  these  were  divided  the  isles  of 
the  nations  in  their  lands,  every  one  after  his  tongue,  after 
their  families,  in  their  nations. 

The  fifth  document  relates  to  the  generations  of  the  sons  of  Noah. 
It  presents  first  a  genealogy  of  the  nations,  and  then  an  account  of  the 
distribution  of  mankind  into  nations,  and  their  dispersion  over  the 
earth.  This  is  the  last  section  which  treats  historically  of  the  whole 
human  race.  Only  in  incidental,  didactic,  or  prophetic  passages  do 
we  again  meet  with  mankind  as  a  whole  in  the  Old  Testament. 
28 


218  JAPHETH. 

The  present  chapter  signalizes  a  new  step  in  the  development  of  the 
human  race.  They  pass  from  the  one  family  to  the  seventy  nations. 
This  great  process  covers  the  space  of  time  from  Noah  to  Abraham. 
During  this  period  the  race  was  rapidly  increasing  under  the  covenant 
made  with  Noah.  From  Shem  to  Abraham  were  ten  generations  in- 
clusive ;  and,  therefore,  if  we  suppose  the  same  rate  of  increase  after 
as  we  have  supposed  before,  there  would  be  about  fifteen  millions 
of  inhabitants  when  Abraham  was  thirty  years  of  age.  If,  however, 
wc  take  eight  as  the  average  of  a  family,  and  suppose  eleven  genera- 
tions after  Shem  at  the  hundredth  year  of  Abraham's  life,  we  have 
about  thirty  millions  of  people  on  the  earth.  The  average  of  the  three 
sons  of  Noah  is  higher  than  this ;  for  they  had  sixteen  sons,  and  we 
may  suppose  as  many  daughters,  making  in  all  tliirty-two,  and,  there- 
fore, giving  ten  children  to  each  household.  The  present  chapter  does 
not  touch  on  the  religious  aspect  of  human  affairs  :  it  merely  presents 
a  table  of  the  primary  nations,  from  which  all  subsequent  nationalities 
have  been  derived. 

1-2.  The  sons  of  Japheth.  Japheth  is  placed  first,  because  he  was, 
most  probably,  the  eldest  brother  (Gen.  ix.  24 ;  x.  21 ),  and  his  de- 
scendants were  the  most  numerous  and  most  widely  spread  from  the 
birthplace  of  mankind.  The  general  description  of  their  territory  is 
"  the  isles  of  the  nations."  These  were  evidently  maritime  countries, 
or  such  as  were  reached  by  sea.  These  coast-lands  were  preem- 
inently, but  not  exclusively,  the  countries  bordering  on  the  north  side 
of  the  Mediterranean  and  its  connected  waters.  They  are  said  to 
belong  to  the  nations,  because  the  national  form  of  association  was 
more  early  and  fully  developed  among  them  than  among  the  other 
branches  of  the  race.  There  is,  probably,  a  relic  of  Japheth  in  the 
IttTreros,  Japetus  of  the  Greeks,  said  to  be  the  son  of  Uranus  (heaven), 
and  Gaea  (eartli),  and  father  of  Prometheus,  and  thus  in  some  way 
connected  with  the  origin  or  preservation  of  the  human  race. 

Fourteen  of  the  primitive  nations  spring  from  Japheth.  Seven  of 
these  are  of  immediate  descent.  (1)  Gomer  is  mentioned  again,  in 
Ezekiel  (xxxviii.  G),  as  the  ally  of  Gog,  by  which  the  known  existence 
of  the  nation  at  that  period  is  indicated.  Traces  of  this  name  are 
perhaps  found  in  the  Kt/Ajaeptot  (Horn.  Odys.  xi.  14;  Herod,  i.  15  ;  iv. 
12),  who  lay  in  the  dark  north,  in  the  Krimea,  the  Kimbri  who  dwelt 
in  north  Germany,  the  Kymry,  Cambri,  and  Cumbri  who  occupied 
Britain,  These  all  belong  to  the  race  now  called  Keltic,  the  first 
wave  of  population  that  reached  the  Atlantic.     Thus  the  Tofxapels  of 


GEN.  X.  1-5.  219 

Josephus  (Ant.  i.  6.  1)  may  even  be  identified  with  the  Galatae, 
This  nation  seems  to  have  lain  to  the  north  of  the  Euxine,  and  to  have 
spread  out  along  the  southern  coasts  of  tlie  Baltic  into  France,  Spain, 
and  the  British  Isles. 

(2)  Magog  is  mentioned,  by  Ezekiel  (xxxviii.  G),  as  the  people 
of  which  Gog  was  the  prince.  It  is  inti'oduced  in  the  Apocalypse  (xx. 
8),  as  a  designation  of  the  remote  nations  who  had  penetrated  to  the 
ends  or  corners  of  the  earth.  This  indicates  a  continually  progressing 
people,  occupying  the  north  of  Europe  and  Asia,  and  crossing,  it  may 
be,  over  into  America.  They  seem  to  have  been  settled  north  of  the 
Caspian,  and  to  have  wandered  north  and  east  from  that  point.  They 
are  accordingly  identified  by  Josephus  (Ant.  i.  6.  1)  with  the  Skyths, 
and  include  the  Mongols  among  other  Skythic  tribes. 

(3)  Madai  has  given  name  to  the  Medes,  who  occupied  tlie  southern 
shore  of  the  Caspian.  From  this  region  they  penetrated  southward 
to  Hindostan. 

(4)  Javan  is  traced  in  the  Idove?,  lones,  who  settled  in  the  coasts 
of  the  Aegean,  in  Peloponnesus,  Attica,  and  subsequently  on  the  coast 
of  Asia  Minor,  and  accordingly  denotes  the  Greeks  in  tlie  language  of 
the  Old  Testament  (Isa.  Ixvi.  19  ;  Ezek.  xxvii,  13  ;  Dan.  viii.  21). 
The  name  Yunau  is  found  in  the  cuneiform  inscriptions  of  the  times 
of  Sargon,  referring  to  a  western  people. 

(5)  Tubal  and  (6)  Meshek  are  generally  associated.  Ezekiel 
(xxvii.  13,  xxxviii.  xxxix.)  connects  them,  on  the  one  hand,  with 
Magog,  and  on  the  other,  with  Javan.  Josephus  (Ant.  i.  G.  1)  finds 
Tubal  in  Iberia,  and  Meshek  in  Cappadocia,  tracing  the  name  in 
Mazaca.  Their  names  are  seemingly  detected  in  the  Tibareni  and 
Moschi,  and  their  seat  was  probably  between  the  Euxine  and  the  Cas- 
pian, whence  they  spread  themselves  northward  and  westward.  The 
names  of  the  rivers  Tobal  and  Mosqua  bear  a  strong  resemblance  to 
these  patriarchal  names. 

(7)  TiRAS  is  referred  by  Josephus  to  Thrace.  The  name  is  per- 
haps discernible  in  the  Tyras  or  Dniester.  The  seat  of  the  nation 
was  east  of  the  Euxine,  whence  it  spread  to  the  north.  Thus  we  have 
the  original  starting-points  of  these  seven  nations  about  the  Caspian, 
the  Euxine,  and  the  Aegean  Seas. 

3.  Gomer  has  three  sons,  who  ore  the  founders  of  as  many  nations. 
(8)  Ashhenaz  is  supposed  to  have  lain  south  of  the  Euxine,  and  to  be 
traceable  in  its  original  name  a^cvos,  and  in  the  Ascanius  and  Ascania 
of  Bithynia,  perhaps  in  Scandinavia.     Part  of  the  nation  may  have 


220  JAPHETH. 

migrated  to  Germany,  whicli  is  called  Ashkenaz  by  the  Jews,  and 
where  the  word  Sachsen  (vSaxon)  occurs.  It  perhaps  contains  the  root 
of  the  name  Asia.  (9)  Eiphath  seems  to  have  travelled  north,  and 
left  his  name  in  the  Rhipaean  mountains.  Josephus,  however,  places 
him  in  Paphlagonia,  where  the  name  Tobata  occui's  (Diphath)  (1  Chr. 
i.  G).  (10)  Togarmah  is  said  to  have  been  settled  in  Armenia.  By  a 
tradition  in  Moses  Chorenensis,  Haik,  the  ancestor  of  the  Armenians, 
is  the  son  of  Thorgom,  the  son  of  Gomer.  At  all  events,  the  Black 
Sea  might  convey  colonies  from  Gomer  to  Asia  Minor  and  Armenia. 

4.  Javan  has  four  sons,  who  are  the  heads  of  nations.  (11)  EUshah 
is  noted  by  Ezekiel  (xsvii.  7)  as  a  nation  whose  maritime  country 
produced  purple,  which  agrees  with  the  coast  of  Laconia  or  the  Corin- 
thian Gulf.  The  name  has  been  variously  sought  in  Elis,  Hellas,  and 
Aeolis.  The  last  is  due  to  Josephus.  It  is  possible  that  Elea  or 
Velia,  in  the  south  of  Italy,  may  contain  some  reference  to  the  name. 
(12)  TarsMsh  is  conjectured  by  Josephus  to  be  the  people  of  Cilicia; 
which,  he  affirms,  was  anciently  called  Tharsus,  and  the  capital  of 
which  was  Tarsus.  But  whether  this  be  the  primitive  seat  of  Tarshish 
or  not,  it  is  almost  certain  that  Spain  retains  the  name,  if  not  in  Tarraco, 
at  least  in  Tartessus.  (13)  Kittim  is  discovered,  by  Josephus,  in  Cyprus, 
where  we  meet  with  the  town  of  Citium  (Ktrtoi/).  He  adds,  however, 
that  all  the  islands  and  the  greater  part  of  the  seacoasts  are  called 
Xe8t/x  by  the  Hebrews.  We  may  therefore  presume  that  the  Kittim 
spread  into  northern  Greece,  vfhere  we  have  a  YLCtiov  in  Macedonia, 
and  ultimately  into  Italj^,  which  is  designated  as  "  the  isles  of  Kittim  " 
(Num.  xxiv.  24;  Isa.  xxiii.  1 ;  Jer.  ii.  10;  Ezek.  xxvii.  G  ;  Dan.  xi. 
30.)  (14)  Dodanim  leaves  a  trace,  perhaps,  in  Dodona,  an  ancient 
site  of  the  Hellenes  in  Epirus,  and  perhaps  in  Dardania,  a  district  of 
Illyricum. 

5.  Thus  we  have  discovered  the  ancient  seats  of  Japheth  ('laTrerb;) 
around  the  Caspian,  the  Euxine,  the  Aegean,  and  the  north  of  the 
Mediterranean.  From  these  coast-lands  they  seem  to  have  spread  over 
Europe,  northern,  western,  and  southern  Asia,  and,  both  by  Behring's 
Straits  and  the  Atlantic,  they  at  length  poured  into  America.  So  true 
is  it  that  Japheth  was  enlarged,  and  that  by  them  were  "  the  isles  of 
the  nations  divided." 

In  their  nations.  We  here  note  the  characteristics  of  a  nation.  1st. 
It  is  descended  from  one  head.  Others  may  be  occasionally  grafted 
on  the  original  stock  by  intermarriage.  But  there  is  a  vital  union 
sub^i^ting  between  all  the  members  and  the  head,  in  consequence  of 


GEN.  X.  6-20.  221 

which  the  name  of  the  head  is  applied  to  the  whole  body  of  the  nation. 
In  the  case  of  Kittim  and  Dodanim  we  seem  to  have  the  national 
name  thrown  back  upon  the  patriarchs,  who  may  have  themselves  been 
called  Keth  and  Dodan.  Similar  instances  occur  in  the  subsequent 
l^arts  of  the  genealogy.  2d.  A  nation  has  a  country  or  "  land  "  which 
it  calls  its  own.  In  the  necessaiy  migrations  of  ancient  tribes,  the 
new  territories  appropriated  by  the  tribe,  or  any  part  of  it,  were  natu- 
rally called  by  the  old  name,  or  some  name  belonging  to  the  old 
country.  This  is  well  illustrated  by  the  name  of  Gomer,  which  seems 
to  reappear  in  the  Cimmerii,  the  Cimbii,  the  Cymri,  the  Cambri,  axid 
the  Cumbri.  3d.  A  nation  has  its  own  "  tongue."  This  constitutes  at 
once  its  unity  in  itself  and  its  separation  from  others.  Many  of  the 
nations  in  the  table  may  have  spoken  cognate  tongues,  or  even  origi- 
nally the  same  tongue.  Thus  the  Kenaanite,  Phoenician,  and  Punic 
nations  had  the  same  stock  of  languages  with  the  Shemites.  But  it  is 
a  uniform  law,  that  one  nation  has  only  one  speech  within  itself.  4th. 
A  nation  is  composed  of  many  "famiHes,"  clans,  or  tribes.  These 
branch  off  from  the  nation  in  the  same  manner  as  it  did  from  the 
parent  stock  of  the  race. 


XXXII.    HAM.  —  Gen.  x.  6-20. 

6.  C";'ns^  Mitsraim.  "liC"?  strai'iness,  limit,  pressure,  ^is^  distress, 
siege,  mound,  bulwark;  Egypt,  n'^t!^?  perhaps  double  Egypt,  lower 
and  upper.     i:!iQ  Put,  troubled. 

7.  N33  Seba,  drinking  (man,  Ethiop.).  n!^3D  Sabtah.  iT3:;)'n  Ra- 
mah,  shaking,  trembling.  NrnsD  Sabtekha.  NSd  Sheba,  captive  ?  ',n'n 
Dedan,  going  slowly  ? 

8.  "i't;?  jSTimrod,  strong,  rebel. 

10.  bns  Babel ;  r.  pour,  mingle,  confound.  T("^i<  Erek,  length.  'iSX 
AJikad, /briress.     i^sbs  Kalneh.     I^DO  Shin'ar. 

11.  t-i"3-;  Nineveh,  dwelling'?  '^^s  nzrn  Rechoboth  'ir,  streets  of  a 
citg.     nb3  Kelach,  completion,  end,  age. 

12.  'O"!  Resen,  bridle,  bit. 

13.  C'";=ib  Ludim,  born'?  ti'^^"j'AxiKm.\va.,  possession,  sheep.  d'^Sii^ 
Lehabim,  fiery,  flaming  ?     t'lrinss  Naphtuchim,  opening. 

14.  D'^Ci'irs  Pathrusim.  C^nbcs  Kasluchim.  t:"^n33  Pelishtim, 
kXX6(l>v\oL ;  r.  break,  scatter ;  Aeth.  migrate.  D^^/nss  Kaphtorim ;  r. 
crown,  capital. 


222  HAM. 

15.  li'T^a  Tsidon,  hunting,     nn  Cheth,  hreahing,  affrighting. 

1 6.  ^ti^^2.'[  Jebusi ;  r.  tread,  i-ibx  Emori ;  r.  Say,  he  high.  '^123?'^.?' 
Girgashi ;  r.  clay,  clod. 

17.  "^in  Chivvi;  r.  live.  ^'^'^p_  'Arqi ;  r.  gnaiv,  sting.  '^Jio  Sini ;  r. 
mud,  clay. 

18.  I'lnx  Arvadi;  r.  roam,  ramble,  i'n'22  Tsemari ;  n.  ivool ;  v. 
cover,     ^rron  Cliamathi ;  n.  fastness  ;  v.  guard. 

]  9.  ^nj  Gerar ;  r.  draw,  saw,  abide,  nw  'Azzah,  strong,  c'lp 
Sodom ;  r.  shut,  stop,  tr^^y  'Amorah ;  n.  sheaf ;  v.  hlad.  T\'^^jA  Ad- 
mah  ;  a.  red ;  n.  soil,  trb^l  Tseboim,  gazelles ;  v.  go  forth,  shine. 
"■^■'5  Leslia' ;  v.  pierce,  cleave. 

6.  And  the  sons  of  Ham:  Kush  and  Mizraim  and  Put  and 
Kenaan.  7.  And  the  sons  of  Kiish :  Seba  and  Havihih  and 
Sabtah  and  Ramah  and  Sabteka  ;  and  the  sons  of  Ramah : 
Sheba  and  Dodan.  8.  And  Kush  begat  Nimrod  :  ho  began 
to  be  mighty  in  the  land.  9.  He  was  mighty  in  hunting, 
before  the  Lord  :  wherefore  it  is  said,  As  Nimrod,  mighty  in 
hunting,  before  the  Lord.  10.  And  the  beginning  of  his  king- 
dom was  Babel  and  Erek  and  Akkad  and  Kabieh,  in  the 
land  of  Shinar.  11.  Out  of  that  land  came  he  forth  to 
Asshur,  and  builded  Nineveh  and  Rehoboth-ir  and  Kelah, 
12.  And  Rosen  between  Nineveh  and  Kelah  ;  that  is,  the  great 
city.  13.  And  Mizraim  begat  Ludim  and  Anamim  and 
Lehabim  and  Naphtuhim,  14.  And  Pathrusim  and  Kasluhim, 
whence  came  Philistim  and  Kaphtorim.  §  17. 

15.  And  Kenaan  begat  Zidon,  his  first-born,  and  Heth,  16. 
And  the  Jcbusito  and  the  Amorite  and  the  Girgashite,  17. 
And  the  Hivite  and  the  Arkite  and  the  Sinite,  18.  And  the 
Arvadite  and  the  Zemarite  and  the  Hamathite  ;  and  after- 
ward were  spread  abroad  the  families  of  the  Kenaanitc.  19. 
And  the  border  of  the  Kcnaanite  was  from  Zidon,  as  thou 
goest  to  Gerar,  unto  Azzali ;  as  tliou  goest  to  Sodom  and 
Amorah  and  Admah  and  Zeboim,  unto  Lesha.  20.  These 
are  the  sons  of  Ham,  after  their  families,  after  their  tongues, 
in  their  lands,  in  their  nations.  §  18. 


GEN.  X.  6-20.  223 

G.  And  the  so7is  of  Ham.  Ham  the  youngest  of  the  three  brothers 
(Gen.  is.  24),  is  placed  here  because  he  agrees  with  Japheth  in 
becoming  estranged  from  the  true  God,  and  because  the  last  place  as 
the  more  important  is  reserved  for  Shem.  As  the  name  of  Japheth  is 
preserved  in  the  laTreros  of  the  Greeks,  so  Cham  is  supposed  to  appear 
in  Chemi  of  the  Koptic,  x'^/^'«  of  Plutarch,  Chme  of  the  Rosetta  Stone, 
an  old  name  of  Egypt.  This  country  is  also  called  the  land  of  Ham 
in  Scripture  (Ps.  Ixxviii.  51,  cv.  23,  27,  cvi.  22).  But  this  term 
was  of  more  comprehensive  import,  as  we  find  some  ancient  inhabitants 
of  a  region  in  the  south  of  Judah,  said  to  have  come  from  Ham  ( 1  Chro. 
iv.  40).  Thirty  primitive  nations  sprang  from  Ham.  Of  these,  only 
four  were  immediate  descendants. 

(15)  KusH  has  left  traces  of  his  name  perhaps  in  the  Caucasus, 
the  Caspian,  and  the  Cossaei  of  Khusistau.  There  is  an  allusion  in 
Amos  (ix.  7)  to  his  migration  to  the  land  south  of  Egypt  which  bears 
his  name.  This  name  is  preserved  in  Gheez,  the  name  of  the  ancient 
language  of  the  people,  and  some  say  even  in  Habesh.  It  is  possible, 
that  some  of  the  Kushites  went  towards  India.  To  Ethiopia,  however, 
the  name  generally  refers  in  Scripture.  The  Ethiopians  were  called 
by  Homer  (Odyss.  I.  23),  eaxa-roL  dvSpwv,  remotest  of  men. 

(16)  MizKAiM  is  the  ordinary  name  for  Egypt  in  the  Hebrew 
scriptures.  The  singular  form,  Mazor,  is  found  in  later  books  ( 2  Kings 
xix.  24;  Is.  xix.  6,  xxxv.  25). 

(17)  Put  has  with  one  consent  been  placed  beyond  Egypt,  in  the 
north  of  the  continent  of  Africa.  He  is  mentioned  along  with  Lubim 
as  the  helper  of  Nineveh  (Nah.  iii.  9),  and  with  Kush,  as  forming 
part  of  the  army  of  Neko  (Jer.  xlvi.  9).  His  descendants  penetrated 
far  westward.  A  river  bearing  the  name  of  Phutes  has  been  men- 
tioned in  Mauretania,  and  an  inland  country  is  designated  by  the  name 
of  Futa.  The  name  may  be  preserved  also  in  Buto,  the  capital  of 
lower  Egypt,  on  the  Sebennytic  mouth  of  the  Nile. 

(18)  Kenaan  settled  in  the  country  called  after  his  name.  There 
are  some  gi'ounds  for  believing  that  this  land  was  previously  inhabited 
by  Shemites,  as  the  land  was  Shemitic.  If  so,  the  Kenaanites  came 
in  as  intruders,  and  followed  the  language  of  their  predecessors.  But 
of  this  hereafter. 

7.  Kush  had  five  sons  and  two  grandsons,  who  were  reckoned  among 
the  founders  of  nations.  (19)  Seba  is  associated  with  Kush  (Is.  xliii. 
3,  xlv.  14).  Josephus  (Ant.  I.  6.  2,  11.  10.  2)  places  him  in  Meroe, 
a  country  almost  insulated  by  the  Nile  and  its  branches,  the  Astapus 


224  HAM. 

(Blue  Nile)  and  Astaboras  (Atbarali).  (20)  Havilali  occurs  as  the 
name  of  a  country  in  the  antediluvian  times.  The  present  Havilah 
may  refer  to  a  tribe  in  Africa,  called  Avalitae,  lying  south  of  Bab-el- 
mandeb,  which  corresponds  very  well  with  the  situation  of  Kush  and 
Seba.  This  nation,  however,  may  also  have  a  representative  in  the 
'X.a.vkoraloi  of  Strabo  (xvi.  728),  situated  on  the  Persian  Gulf,  where 
some  other  Kushites  were  to  be  found.  The  fragments  of  this  nation 
may  have  separated  by  migration,  and  left  its  name  in  both  localities. 
(21)  Sabtah,  Josephus  finds  in  the  Astaborans  of  Ethiopia,  others  in 
Sabota,  a  town  in  southwest  Arabia.  (22)  Ramah  is  traced  in  Rhegma 
on  the  southeast  of  Arabia.  (23)  Sabteka  is  the  third  name,  beginning 
with  the  same  syllable.  Such  names  are  frequent  from  the  Persian 
Gulf  to  the  coast  of  Africa.  Some  find  this  place  on  the  coast  of 
Abyssinia,  others  in  Samydake  on  the  east  side  of  the  Persian  Gulf. 
From  Ramah  are  two  tribes  descended, —  (24)  Sheha,  and  (25)  Dedan, 
lying  in  the  south  of  Arabia  or  on  the  Persian  Gulf  Daden,  an  island 
in  the  gulf,  now  Barhein,  may  represent  the  latter. 

8-12.  In  this  episode  the  author  turns  aside  from  the  table  of  nations 
to  notice  the  origin  of  the  first  great  empires  that  were  established  on 
the  earth.  And  Kush  hegat  Nimrod.  The  author  had  before  enu- 
merated the  sons  of  Kush,  vfho  were  heads  of  nations.  Here  he  singles 
oat  one  of  his  sons  or  descendants,  who  became  the  first  potentate  of 
wdiom  we  have  any  record.  He  notices  his  qualities  for  rising  to  this 
position  among  men.  He  began  to  be  a  mighty  one  in  the  land.  He 
was  mighty  in  hunting,  before  the  Lord.  Hunting  is  a  comprehensive 
term,  indicating  the  taking  of  any  species  of  animal,  whether  of  the 
air,  the  sea,  or  the  land.  Nimrod's  distinction  in  this  respect  was  so 
great  as  to  become  proverbial.  The  expression,  "  before  the  Lord," 
intimates,  not  merely  that  the  Lord  was  cognizant  of  his  proceedings, 
for  he  knoweth  all  things,  but  that  Nimrod  himself  made  no  secret  of 
his  designs,  pursued  them  with  a  bold  front  and  a  high  hand,  and  at 
the  same  time  was  aware  of  the  name  and  will  of  Jehovah.  This 
defiant  air  gives  a  new  character  to  his  hunting,  which  seems  to  have 
extended  even  to  man,  as  the  term  is  sometimes  so  applied  (1  Sam. 
xxiv.  12  [11],  Jer.  xvi.  IG).  His  name,  which  literally  means  we 
shall  rebel,  is  in  keeping  with  the  practice  of  an  arbitrary  and  violent 
control  over  men's  persons  and  property. 

10.  The  beginning  or  first  seat  and  the  extent  of  his  kingdom  among 
men  ai'e  then  described.  It  consists  of  four  towns,  —  Babel  and  Erck 
and  Akkad  and  Kalaeh,  in,  the  land  of  Shinar.     The  number  four  is 


GEN.  X.  6-20.  225 

cl.aracteristic  of  Nimrod's  kingdom.  It  is  the  mark  of  the  four  quai'ters 
of  the  earth,  of  universality  in  point  of  extent,  and  therefore  of  ambi- 
tion. The  site  of  Babel  (Babylon)  has  been  discovered  in  certain 
ruins  near  Ilillah,  chiefly  on  the  opposite  or  eastern  bank  of  the 
Euphrates,  where  there  is  a  square  mound  called  Babil  by  the  natives. 
Erek  has  been  traced  also  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Euphrates,  about 
one  hundred  miles  southeast  of  Babil,  or  half  way  between  the  city 
and  the  confluence  of  the  rivers.  It  is  the  Orchoe  of  the  Greeks,  and 
the  ruins  now  bear  the  name  of  Urka,  or  Warka.  This  name  appears 
as  Huruk  on  the  cuneiform  inscriptions  of  the  place.  Akkad,  in  the 
Sept.  Archad,  Col.  Taylor  finds  in  Akkerkoof,  north  of  Babel,  and 
about  nine  miles  west  of  the  Tigris,  where  it  approaches  the  Euphrates. 
Here  there  is  a  hill  or  mound  of  ruins  called  Tel  Nimrud.  Rawlinson 
finds  the  name  Akkad  frequent  in  the  inscriptions,  and  mentions  Kingi 
Akkad  as  part  of  the  kingdom  of  Urukh,  but  without  identifying  the 
site.  Kalneh,  Kalno,  Isa.  x.  9  ;  Kanneh,  Ezek.  xxvii.  23,  is  regarded 
by  Jerome,  and  the  Targum  of  Jonathan,  as  the  same  with  Ktesiphon 
on  the  Tigris,  in  the  district  of  Chalonitis.  Its  ruins  are  near  Takti 
Kesra.  Ravv'linson  identifies  it  with  Niffer,  but  without  assigning 
satisfactory  grounds.  The  sites  of  these  towns  fix  that  of  Shinar, 
which  is  evidently  the  lower  part  of  Mesopotamia,  or,  more  precisely, 
the  country  west  of  the  Tigris,  and  south  of  Is,  or  Hit,  on  the  Euphra- 
tes, and  Samara  on  the  Tigris.  It  is  otherwise  called  Babylonia  and 
Chaldfea. 

11,  12.  Out  of  that  land  came  he  forth  to  Asshur.  This  may  be 
otherwise  rendered,  "  out  of  that  land  came  forth  Asshur."  The  prob- 
abilities in  favor  of  the  former  translations  are  the  following:  1st.  The 
discourse  relates  to  Nimrod.  2d.  The  words  admit  of  it.  3d.  The 
word  Asshur  has  occurred  hitherto  only  as  the  name  of  a  country. 
4th.  Asshur,  the  person,  was  considerably  older  than  Nimrod,  and  had 
probably  given  name  to  Asshur  before  Nimrod's  projects  began.  5th. 
Asshur  would  have  been  as  great  a  man  as  Nimrod,  if  he  had  founded 
Nineveh  and  its  contiguous  towns  ;  which,  does  not  appear  from  the 
text.  6th.  The  beginning  of  his  kingdom  implies  the  addition  to  it  con- 
tained in  these  verses.  7th.  And  the  phrases  in  the  land  of  Shinar,  out 
of  that  land,  and  the  need  of  some  definite  locality  for  the  second  four 
cities,  are  in  favor  of  the  former  rendering. 

Asshur  was  a  country  intersected  by  the  Tigris.  It  included  the 
part  of  Mesopotamia  north  of  Shinar,  and  the  region  between  the 
Tigris  and  Mount  Zagros.  Its  extension  westward  is  undefined  by 
20 


226  HAM. 

any  natural  boundary,  and  seems  to  have  varied  at  different  times. 
Nineveh  was  a  well-known  city  of  antiquity,  situated  opposite  Mosul 
on  the  Tigris.  The  country  in  which  it  was  placed  is  called  by  Strabo 
Aturia,  a  variation  seemingly  of  Asshur.  Its  remains  are  now  marked 
by  the  names  Nebbi-yunus  and  Koyunjik.  Rehoboth-ir,  the  city 
broadway  or  market,  has  not  been  identified.  Kelah  is  said  to  be 
now  marked  by  the  ruin  called  Nimrud.  This  lies  on  the  left  bank 
of  the  Tigris,  near  its  confluence  with  the  greater  Zab.  Its  name 
seems  to  be  preserved  in  the  Calachene  of  Strabo.  It  was  about 
twenty  miles  south  of  Nineveh.  It  is  possible,  however,  so  far  as 
we  can  conjecture  from  conflicting  authorities,  that  Kelah  may  bo 
Kileh  Sherghat,  about  fifty  miles  south  of  Mosul,  on  the  right  bank 
of  the  Tigris.  Eesen  is  placed  by  the  text  between  Nineveh  and 
Kelah,  and  is  therefore  probably  represented  by  Selamiyeh,  a  village 
about  half  way  between  Koyunjik  and  Nimrud.  If  Kelah,  however, 
be  Kileh  Sherghat,  Eesen  will  coincide  with  Nimrud.  That  is  the 
great  city.  This  refers  most  readily  to  Rosen,  and  vrill  suit  very  well 
if  it  be  Nimrud,  which  was  evidently  extensive.  It  ma}^,  however, 
refer  to  Nineveh.  This  completion  of  Nimrod's  kingdom,  we  see, 
contains  also  four  cities.  The  Babylonian  and  Assyrian  monarchies 
were  akin  in  origin,  and  allied  in  their  history  and  in  their  fall.  They 
were  too  near  each  other  to  be  independent,  and  their  mutual  jealousies 
at  length  brought  about  the  ruin  of  the  northern  capital.  A  Kushite, 
and  therefore  a  Hamite,  founded  this  first  world-monarchy  or  tyranny. 
Another  Ilamite  power  arose  simultaneously  in  Egypt.  A  branch  of 
the  Kushitcs  seem  to  have  gone  eastward,  and  spread  over  India.  But 
another  branch  spread  through  the  South  of  Arabia,  and,  crossing  into 
Africa,  came  into  contact,  sometimes  into  alliance,  and  sometimes  into 
colhsion  with  the  Egyptian  monarchy.  The  eastern  empire  is  noticed 
particularly,  because  it  intruded  into  Shemitic  ground,  and  aimed  con- 
tinually at  extending  its  SAvay  over  the  nations  descended  from  Shcm. 
13,  14.  Mizraim  has  seven  sons,  from  whom  are  derived  eight 
nations.  (2G)  Tlie  Ludim  are  probably  mentioned  in  Isa.  Ixvi.  10,  in 
connection  with  Tarshish  and  Put ;  in  Jer.  xlvi.  9,  in  connection  with 
Kush  and  Put ;  and  in  Ezek.  xxvii.  10,  xxx.  5,  in  connection  with 
Put.  In  all  these  instances  the  name  is  in  the  singular,  but  in  our 
text  in  the  plural,  expressly  denoting  the  nation  of  which  Lud  was  the 
progenitor.  The  Ludim  were  distinguished  for  the  use  of  the  bow. 
They  were,  doubtless,  an  African  tribe,  related  to  the  Egyptians,  and 
well  known  to  the  prophets,  though  their  country  cannot  now  be  pointed 
out.     Joeephus  intimates  that  they  were  destroyedj  as  well  as  other 


GEN.  X.  6-20.  227 

tribes  descended  from  Mizraim,  in  the  Ethiopic  war  of  the  time  of 
Moses ;  but  they  still  existed  in  the  times  of  Ezekiel.  Movers  finds 
them  in  the  Lewatah,  a  tribe  of  Berbers.  Others  place  them  in  Mau- 
retania.     Pliny  mentions  a  river  Laud  in  Tingitana, 

(27)  The  Ancanim  are  not  elsewhere  mentioned.  ( 28)  The  Leliahim 
arc  generally  identified  with  the  Lubim  (2  Chr.  xii.  3,  xvi.  8  ;  Dan. 
ii.  43  ;  Nah.  iii.  9),  who  are  introduced  in  connection  with  the  Kushim. 
They  are  probably  the  Libyans,  who  lay  to  the  west  of  Egypt,  and, 
extending  from  the  Mediterranean  indefinitely  to  the  south,  came  into 
contact  with  the  Kushites  of  Abyssinia.  (29)  The  Naphtuhim  Bochart 
places  in  Nephthys,  near  Pelusium  on  the  Lake  Sirboais.  Others 
find  a  trace  of  them  in  Napata,  a  town  of  Meroe.  This  agrees  with 
the  indications  of  Josephus  and  the  Targum  of  Jonathan. 

(30)  The  Pathrusim  have  their  place  in  Pathros,  a  name  of  upper 
Egypt  or  the  Thebais.  It  is  arranged  by  Isaiah  (ii.  11)  between 
Egypt  and  Kush.  (31)  The  Kasluhim  are  supposed  by  some  to  be 
represented  by  the  Colchians,  whom  Herodotus  (ii.  104)  traces  to 
Egypt.  It  is  possible  the  Colchians  may  have  been  a  colony  from 
them.  But  their  original  seat  must  have  been  somewhere  on  the 
coast  of  the  Red  Sea.  Out  of  loliom  came  (32)  Philistim.  The 
Philistines  dwelt  on  the  coast  of  the  Mediterranean,  from  the  border 
of  Egypt  to  Joppa.  They  had  five  principal  cities,  —  Gaza,  Ashdod, 
Ashkelon,  Gath,  and  Ekron.  They  gav3  the  name  rnrbs  Pelesheth 
to  the  whole  of  Kenaan,  from  which  is  derived  the  Greek  name  llaA- 
auTTLvq,  Palaestina.  They  are  stated  by  the  text  to  be  a  colony  or 
offshoot  of  the  Kasluhim.  (33)  Kaphtorim.  From  Jer.  xlvii.  4,  it 
appears  that  Kaphtor  was  a  coast-land.  From  Amos  xi.  7,  we  learn 
that  the  Philistines  came  from  this  land.  Hence  we  conclude  that 
the  Kaphtorim  dwelt  on  the  coast  of  the  Red  Sea,  adjacent  to  the 
Kasluchim,  and  left  their  name,  perhaps,  in  Koptos  and  AtyuTn-o?. 
Cappadocia,  Crete,  and  Cyprus  only  slightly  resemble  the  name,  and 
have  no  other  recommendation.  The  Kasluhim  may  have  been  their 
southern  neighbors,  and  thus  the  Philistines  may  have  occupied  a  part 
of  Kaphtor,  before  their  settlement  on  the  coast  of  the  Great  Sea, 
within  the  borders  of  Kenaan,  where  they  would,  of  course,  be  another 
tribe  ioXko^vkoi).  This  account  of  these  descendants  of  Mizraim 
agrees  best  with  the  hint  of  Josephus,  that  many  of  them  bordered  on 
the  Ethiopians ;  and  perished,  or  perhaps  were  forced  to  migrate,  in 
the  Ethiopic  or  other  wars  (i.  6.  3).  Thus  it  appears  that  the  descend- 
ants of  Mizraim  were  settled  in  Africa,  with  the  exception  of  the 


228 


HAM. 


Philistines,  who  migrated  into  the  country  to  which  they  gave  their 
name. 

15-19.  From  Kenaan  are  descended  eleven  nations.  (34)  Zidon 
is  styled  his  first-born.  The  name  is  retained  in  the  well-known  town 
on  the  coast  of  Phoenicia,  which  is  accordingly  of  the  highest  antiquity 
among  the  cities  of  that  region.  The  Sidonians  w^ere  reckoned  coex- 
tensive with  the  Phcenicians,  and  are  mentioned  by  Homer  (II.  xxiii. 
743  ;  Od.  iv.  618).  (35)  Heth.  This  tribe  dwelt  about  Hebron  and 
in  the  mountains  around,  and  perhaps  still  further  north  in  the  districts 
extending  towards  the  Euphrates  (Gen.  xxiii.  3  ;  Num.  xiii.  29  ;  Jos. 
i.  4).  Esau  took  wives  from  the  Hittites  (Gen.  xxvi.  34,  35),  and 
some  part  of  the  nation  existed  even  after  the  captivity  (Ezr.  ix.  1). 

(36)  The  Jehusite  has  his  chief  seat  in  and  around  Jerusalem,  which 
was  called  Jebus,  from  his  chief;  and  the  citadel  of  which  was  wrested 
from  him  only  in  the  time  of  David  (2  Sam.  v.  7).  (37)  The  Amo- 
rite  was  one  of  the  most  important  and  extensive  tribes  of  Kenaan. 
Five  kings  of  this  nation  dwelt  in  the  mountains  afterwards  occupied 
by  Judah  (Gen.  xiv.  7,  13 ;  Nu.  xiii.  29  ;  Jos.  x.  5),  and  two  on  the 
east  of  the  Jordon,  in  Heshbon  and  Bashan,  north  of  Moab  (Nu.  xxi. 
13  ;  Deut.  iv.  47).  The  eastern  Amorites  were  conquered  under  Moses, 
the  western  under  Joshua.  A  remnant  of  them  were  made  bondsmen 
by  Solomon  (1  Ki.  ix.  20).  They  survived  the  captivity  (Ezr.  ix.  1). 
(38)  The  Girgashite  seems  to  have  lain  on  the  west  of  the  Jordan, 
and  the  name  may  be  preserved  in  the  reading  Tepyecrrji'wv,  of  Matt. 
viii.  28.  The  town  of  the  Gergesenes  is  supposed  to  have  been  at 
the  southeast  of  the  lake  of  Gennesaret  (Gen.  xv.  21  ;  Deut.  vii.  1 ; 
Jos.  xxiv.  11). 

(39)  The  Hivite  was  found  at  Shalem,  Gibeon,  and  also  at  the  foot 
of  Hermbu  and  Antilibanus  ( Gen.  xxxiv.  2  ;  Jos.  ix.  7,  xi.  3 ;  Judg. 
iii.  3).  The  former  were  also  classed  under  the  Amorites  (  Gen.  xlviii. 
22  ;  2  Sam.  xxi.  2).  With  the  exception  of  four  cities  of  the  Gib- 
eonites,  they  were  conquered  by  Joshua  (ix.  17  ;  xi.  3,  19).  (40) 
Tlie  Arkite  probably  dwelt  near  a  town  called  Arke  or  Caesarea 
Libani,  lying  some  miles  north  of  Tripolis,  at  the  foot  of  Lebanon. 
Its  ruins  are  still  extant  at  Tel  Arka.  (41)  The  Smite  is  supposed 
to  have  dwelt  in  Sinna,  a  town  mentioned  by  Strabo,  called  Sine  by 
Jerome,  and  Syn  in  the  fifteenth  century  (Strab.  xvi.  2,  18  ;  Ilieron. 
Quaest.  in  Gen.,  Breitenbach,  Travels,  p.  47),  not  far  from  Arke. 

(42)  The  Arvadite  dwelt  in  Arvad,  Aradus,  now  Ruad,  a  Phoeni- 
cian town  on  an  island  of  the  same  name.     (43)  The  Zcmarite  has 


GEN.  X.  6-20.  229 

been  traced  in  the  town  "^Lfxypa,  the  ruins  of  which  were  found  bv 
Shaw  at  the  western  foot  of  Lebanon,  under  the  name  of  Sumra.  (1-1) 
The  HamatJiite  was  the  inhabitant  of  Hamath,  called  Hamath  Rabbah 
(the  great),  by  the  Greeks  Epiphaneia,  and  at  present  Hamah.  It  is 
situated  on  the  Orontes,  and  held  an  important  place  in  the  history  of 
Israel.  The  land  of  Hamath  was  of  great  extent,  including  the  town 
of  Riblah  (2  Kings  xxv.  21)  and  reaching  even  to  Antioch.  The 
entrance  of  Hamath  rrcn  x'la,  the  northern  part  of  the  valley  between 
Lebanon  and  Antilibanus,  formed  the  utmost  boundary  of  Palestine 
to  the  north  (Num.  xiii.  21  ;  Jos.  xiii.  5  ;  1  Kings  viii.  65).  Its  king 
was  in  alliance  with  David  (2  Sam.  viii.  10). 

And  afterwards  were  the  families  of  the  Kenaanites  spread  abroad. 
After  the  confusion  of  tongues  were  these  nations  formed ;  and 
after  the  formation  of  these  Kenaanic  tribes  occurred  the  dispersion 
spoken  of  in  the  text.  We  do  not  know  what  was  the  original  seat 
of  the  Kenaanites ;  or  whether  the  dispersion  here  mentioned  was 
violent  or  not.  Its  primary  result,  however,  seems  to  have  been  their 
settlement  in  the  counti'y  of  which  the  boundaries  are  next  described. 
It  is  not  improbable  that  this  land  was  allotted  to  a  portion  of  the 
Shemites,  and  occupied  by  them  when  the  Kenaanites  entered  and 
established  themselves  among  them  (Gen.  xl.  15).  The  Kenaanites 
probably  had  the  same  grasping  tendency  which  displayed  itself  in 
Nimrod,  their  kinsman  ;  and  therefore  seized  upon  the  country  with  a 
high  hand,  and  called  it  after  their  name.  Their  expulsion,  on  the 
conquest  of  the  land  by  the  Israelites,  and  their  commercial  activity, 
led  to  a  stiU  further  dispersion  ;  as  colonies  were  sent  out  by  them  to 
the  distant  shores  of  the  Mediterranean,  to  Asia  Minor,  Greece, 
Africa,  Spain,  and  even  the  British  Isles.  But  it  can  scarcely  be 
supposed  that  reference  is  here  made  to  these  subsequent  events  in 
their  history. 

19.  The  border  of  Kenaan,  as  here  described,  extends  along  the 
coast  from  Zidon  in  the  direction  of  (as  thou  goest  unto)  Gerar,  which 
lay  between  Kadesh  and  Shur  (Gen.  xx.  1),  and  has  its  name  pre- 
served in  the  Wady  el-Jerur,  which  is  nearly  in  a  line  connecting 
Ain  el-Weibeh  and  Suez.  It  turns  at  Azzah  (Gaza),  and  passes  to 
the  cities  of  the  plain,  of  which  the  after-history  is  so  memorable. 
Its  terminating  point  is  Lesha,  which  is  generally  supposed  to  be 
Callirrhoe,  to  the  northeast  of  the  Dead  Sea,  so  called  from  the  hot 
springs  which  form  a  stream  flowing  into  the  lake.  It  is  possible, 
however,  that  Lesha  is  only  another  vai'iation  of  Laish  and  Leshem,  a 


230  SHEM. 

city  belonging  to  the  Sidonians,  and  situated  near  the  sources  of  the 
Jordan.  Thus  we  have  the  western,  southern,  and  eastern  border 
briefly  given  in  this  verse.  It  is  manifest,  however,  that  they  did  not 
confine  themselves  to  these  limits,  but  "  afterward  spread  abroad  "  into 
the  adjacent  regions.  The  Hittite  went  to  the  northeast ;  the  Amorite 
crossed  the  Jordan,  and  occupied  a  great  part  of  Peraea ;  tlie  Ilivite, 
the  Ai'kite,  the  Sinite,  the  Arvadite,  the  Zemarite,  and  the  Hamatliite 
stretched  far  north  of  the  boundary. 

20.  The  list  of  the  Hamites  is  here  summed  up  in  the  usual  form. 
It  appears  that  Ham  occupied  Africa  and  a  certain  portion  of  Asia 
along  the  eastern  coast  of  the  Mediterranean,  in  the  south  of  Arabia, 
about  the  lower  valley  of  the  Frat  and  Diljah,  and  perhaps  along  the 
south  of  Asia.  In  extent  of  territory,  Japheth  ultimately  far  exceeded, 
as  he  occupied  most  of  Asia  and  almost  all  of  Europe  and  the  New 
"World.  Ham  is  next  to  him,  as  he  inherited  Africa  and  a  portion  of 
Asia.  Some  of  his  descendants  have  also  been  forcibly  transplanted 
to  the  New  Hemisphere.  But  in  point  of  political  intercourse  with 
Shem,  Japheth,  in  early  times,  sinks  comparatively  into  the  shade, 
and  Ham  assumes  the  prominent  place.  Babylon,  Kush,  Egypt,  and 
Kenaan  are  the  powers  which  come  into  contact  with  Shem,  in  that 
central  line  of  human  history  which  is  traced  in  the  Bible.  Hence  it 
is  that  in  the  table  of  nations  special  attention  is  directed  to  Kush, 
Nimrod,  Mizraim,  and  to  the  tribes  and  borders  of  Kenaan. 


XXXIII.    SHEM.—  Gen.  x.  21-32. 

21.  ^ny  'Eber,  yonder  side  ;  v.  pass,  cross. 

22.  nbi^  'Elam.  h^V  suckle,  xzh^  hide ;  he  mature.  "^'^'^^^^  Ar- 
pakshad.  "ibs  r^x  boundary  of  Kesed,  ox  (von-Bohlen)  Ai-japakshata, 
beside  Aria.     Cns  Aram,  high  ;  v.  be  high. 

23.  y^y'IIts;  Y.  counsel;  be  firm,  solid,  bw  Chul;  v.  ruh,  twist, 
writhe,  be  strong,  await,  "ira  Gether,  bridge  ?  ^a  Mash ;  r.  feel, 
touch. 

24.  n^iy  Shelach,  missile,  shoot. 

25.  aba  Peleg;  n.    brooh,  canal;  v.  divide,     "llip^  Joetan,  small. 

26.  Tiinbx  Almodad.  T2^  learn,  tra  measure,  rjbo  Sheleph; 
V.  draw  out  or  off.  T\'\;o'ysn  Chatsarmaveth,  court  of  death,  rxy}^  Je- 
rach,  moon,  month. 


GEX.  X.  21-32.  231 

27.  t^.inn  Hadoram,  majesty,  beauty;  v.  swell,  honor,  'bt^ix  Uzal ; 
V.  go  out  or  away,     tibp'n  Diclah,^aZm. 

28.  hy^.'3  'Obal,  hare,  hold.  ^N'Cins  Abimael,  father  of  llael  (cir- 
cumcision). 

29.  "\iaix  Opliir  ;  v.  breah,  veil,     asi'i  Jobab ;  v.  cry,  call. 

30.  K^'g  Mesha,  ns'::)  =  i<i"j  roar,  crash.  ^sa  Sepliar,  counting, 
writing. 

21.  And  to  Shem  was  born  issue,  even  to  him,  the  father  of 
all  the  sons  of  Hebcr,  the  elder  brother  of  Japheth.  22.  The 
sons  of  Shem:  Elam  and  Asshur  and  Arpakshad  and  Lud 
and  Aram.  23.  And  the  sons  of  Aram :  Uz  and  Hul  and 
Getlier  and  Mash.  24.  And  Arpakshad  begat  Shelah ;  and 
Shelah  begat  Heber.  25.  And  to  Heber  were  born  two  sons: 
the  name  of  the  one  was  Peleg,  for  in  his  days  was  the  land 
divided ;  and  his  brother's  name  was  Joctan.  26.  And  Joctaa 
begat  Almodad  and  Sheleph  and  Hazarmaveth  and  Jerah,  27. 
And  Hadoram  and  Uzal  and  Diclah,  28.  And  Obal  and  Abimael 
and  Sheba,  29.  And  Ophir  and  Ilavilah  and  Jobab :  all  these 
were  the  sons  of  Joctan.  30.  And  their  dwelling  was  from 
Mesha  as  thou  goest  unto  Sephar,  a  mount  of  the  east.  31. 
These  are  the  sons  of  Shem  after  their  families,  after  their 
tongues,  in  their  lands,  after  their  nations.  32.  These  are 
the  families  of  the  sons  of  Noah,  after  their  generations,  in 
their  nations :  and  by  these  were  the  nations  divided  in  the 
land  after  the  flood.  T"  14. 


From  Japlieth,  who  penetrated  into  the  remotest  regions,  the  writer 
proceeds  to  Ham,  v/ho  came  into  close  contact  with  Shem.  From  Ham 
he  passes  to  Shem,  in  whom  the  line  of  history  is  to  be  continued. 

21.  Shem  is  here  distinguished  by  two  characteristics  —  the  former 
referring  to  a  subsequent,  the  latter  to  an  antecedent  event.  He  is 
the  father  of  all  the  sons  of  Heber.  It  is  evident  from  this  that  the  sons 
of  Heber  cast  lustre  on  the  family  of  Shem,  and  therefore  on  the  whole 
human  race.  It  is  unnecessaiy  to  anticipate  the  narrative,  except  so 
far  as  to  note  that  the  sons  of  Heber  include  most  of  the  Arabians,  a 


2^2  SHEM. 

portion  of  those  who  mingled  with  the  race  and  inhabited  the  land  of 
Aram,  and,  most  probably,  the  original  element  of  the  population  in 
the  land  of  Kenaan.  This  characteristic  of  Shem  shows  that  the  tabic 
in  which  it  is  found  was  composed  after  the  Hebrews  had  become 
conspicuous  among  the  descendants  of  Shem. 

Shem  is  next  distinguished  as  the  elder  hrotlier  of  Japheth  ;  that  is, 
older  than  Ham.  This  interpretation  of  the  words  is  most  agreeable 
to  the  Hebrew  idiom,  and  is  the  only  one  which  affords  an  important 
sense.  That  Shem  was  the  second  son  appears  from  the  facts  that 
Ham  was  the  youngest  (Gen.  ix.  24),  that  Shem  was  born  in  the  five 
hundred  and  third  year  of  Noah  (Gen.  xi.  10),  and,  therefore,  Japheth 
must  have  been  the  one  born  when  Noah  was  in  his  five  hundredth 
year  (Gen.  v.  32).  The  reason  for  inserting  this  statement  is  to 
prevent  the  order  in  which  the  bi'others  are  introduced  in  the  pedigree 
from  being  taken  as  that  of  their  age,  instead  of  that  of  the  historical 
relationship  subsisting  among  the  nations  descended  from  them. 

22.  Twenty  -six  of  the  primitive  nations  are  descended  from  Shem, 
of  which  five  are  immediate.  (45)  Elam  was  settled  in  a  part  of  the 
modern  Persia,  to  which  he  gave  name.  This  name  seems  to  be  pre- 
served in  Elymais,  a  province  of  that  country  bordering  on  the  Dijlah, 
and  now  included  in  Khusistan.  It  was  early  governed  by  its  own 
kings  (Gen.  xiv.  1),  and  continued  to  occupy  a  distinct  place  among 
the  nations  in  the  time  of  the  later  prophets  (Isa.  xxii.  6;  Jer.  xlix.  34; 
Eze.  xxxii.  24).  Its  capital  was  Shushan  or  Susa  (Dan.  viii.  2),  now 
Shuster. 

(4G)  AssnuE  seems  to  have  originally  occupied  a  district  of  Meso- 
potamia, which  was  bounded  on  the  east  by  the  Tigris  (Gen.  ii.  14). 
The  inviting  plains  and  slopes  on  the  east  of  the  Tigris  would  soon 
occasion  a  migration  of  part  of  the  nation  across  that  river.  It  is 
possible  there  may  have  been  an  ancient  Asshur  occupying  the  same 
region  even  before  the  flood  (Gen.  ii.  14). 

(47)  Arpakshad  is  traced  in  'A/'paTraxtrt?,  Arrhapachitis,  a  region 
in  the  north  of  Assyria.  V.  Bohlen  and  Benfey  identify  it  with  Aria- 
pakshata,  denoting  a  country  beside  Aria.  Gesenius  I'cnders  it  border 
or  stronghold  of  the  Kasdim ;  but  the  components  of  the  word  are 
uncertain.  The  nations  descended  from  Arpakshad  are  noted  at  the 
close  on  account  of  their  late  origin,  as  well  as  their  import  for  the 
subsequent  narrative. 

(48)  LuD  is  usually  identified  with  the  Lydians,  AvSoi,  who  by 
migration  at  length  reached  and  gave  their  name  to  a  part  of  the  west 
coast  of  Asia  Mmor. 


GEN.  X.  21-32.  233 

(49)  Aeah  gave  name  to  the  upper  parts  of  Mesopotamia  and  the 
parts  of  Syria  north  of  Palestine.  Hence  we  read  of  Aram  Naharaim 
(of  the  two  rivers),  Aram  Dammesek  (of  Damascus),  Aram  Maakali 
on  the  southwest  boi'der  of  Damascus,  about  the  sources  of  the  Jordan, 
Aram  Beth  Rechob  in  the  same  neighborhood,  and  Aram  Zoba  to  the 
north  of  Damascus.  The  name  is  perhaps  varied  in  the  "ApLfiot  of 
Homer  (IL  ii.  783)  and  Strabo  (xiii.  4.  G).  From  Aram  are  descended 
four  later  nations. 

23.  (50)  Uz  ('Auo-tTt?,  LXX.)  is  the  chief  of  a  people  having  their  seat 
in  the  north  of  Arabia  Deserta,  between  Palestine  and  the  Euphrates. 
From  this  Uz  it  is  possible  that  the  sons  of  Nahor  and  of  Seir  (Gen. 
xxii.  21  ;  xxxvi.  28)  obtained  their  name.  Job  dwelt  in  this  land. 
(ol)  Hid  is  supposed  to  have  his  settlement  about  the  sources  of  the 
Jordan  in  Huleli.  Others  trace  this  nation  in  the  Hylatae  (Plin.  v.  19) 
near  Emesa.  (52)  Gether  is  of  uncertain  posiiiou,  probably  in  Arabia. 
(53)  Mash  may  have  left  a  trace  of  his  name  in  Mons  Masius,  Karajah 
Dagh,  south  of  Diarbekir,  and  perhaps  also  in  the  Mysians  and  Moe- 
sians,  who  may  have  wandered  westward  from  under  this  mountain. 

24.  Arpakshad  begat  (54)  ShelaJi.  We  know  nothing  of  the  nation 
of  vfliich  he  was  the  foundei-.  He  begat  (55)  Heher.  He  is  the  pro- 
genitor of  the  Hebrews,  the  race  to  which  Abraham  belonged.  He  is 
marked  out  very  prominently  for  reasons  partly  unknown  to  us  at  this 
distance  of  time,  but  partly  no  doubt  because  he  was  the  ancestor  of 
the  chosen  race  who  immediately  preceded  the  confusion  of  tongues, 
and  to  whom  belonged  that  generic  Hebrew  tongue,  which  afterwards 
branched  into  several  dialects,  of  which  the  Hebrew,  now  strictly  so 
called,  was  one.  It  is  probable  that  most  of  the  diversified  modes  of 
speech  retained  the  substance  of  the  primeval  speech  of  mankind. 
And  it  is  not  improbable,  for  various  reasons,  that  this  Hebrew  tongue, 
taken  in  its  largest  sense,  deviated  less  from  the  original  standard  than 
any  othei".  The  Shemites,  and  especially  the  Hebrews,  departed  less 
from  the  knowledge  of  the  true  God  than  the  other  families  of  man,  and, 
therefore,  may  be  presumed  to  have  suffered  less  from  the  concussion 
given  to  the  living  speech  of  the  race.  The  knowledge  previously 
accumulated  of  the  true  God,  and  of  his  will  and  way,  would  have 
been  lost,  if  the  terms  and  other  modes  of  expressing  divine  things 
had  been  entirely  obliterated.  It  is  consonant  with  reason,  then,  to 
supiiose  that  some  one  language  was  so  little  shaken  from  its  primary 
structure  as  to  preserve  this  knowledge.  "We  know  as  a  fact,  that,  while 
other  nations  retained  some  faint  traces  of  the  primeval  Iiistory,  the 

30 


234  SHEM. 

Hebrews  have  banded  down  certain  and  tangible  information  concern- 
ing former  things  in  a  consecutive  order  from  the  very  first.  This  is  a 
proof  positive  that  they  had  the  distinct  outline  and  material  substance 
of  the  primeval  tongue  in  which  these  things  were  originally  expressed. 
In  keeping  with  this  line  of  reasoning,  while  distinct  from  it,  is  the 
fact  that  the  names  of  persons  and  things  are  given  and  explained  in 
the  Hebrew  tongue,  and  most  of  them  in  that  branch  of  it  in  which 
the  Old  Testament  is  composed.  Tie  do  not  enter  further  into  the 
peculiar  nature  of  the  Hebrev/  family  of  languages,  or  the  relationship 
in  which  they  are  found  to  stand  with  the  otlier  forms  of  human  speech 
than  to  intimate  that  such  investigations  tend  to  confirm  the  conclusions 
here  enunciated. 

25.  This  nation  was  very  extensive,  and  accordingly  branched  out 
in(o  several,  of  v/hich  the  immediate  ones  are  Peleg  and  Joctan.  (5G) 
Pelerf  is  remarkable  on  account  of  the  origin  assigned  to  his  name.  In 
his  days  was  the  land  divided.  Here  two  questions  occur.  What  is 
the  meaning  of  the  earth  being  divided,  and  what  is  tlie  time  denoted 
by  his  days  ?  The  verb  divide  (.''^2)  occurs  only  three  times  elsewhere 
in  the  Hebrew  scriptures  (1  Chron.  i.  19  ;  Job  xsxviii.  25;  Ps.  Iv. 
10).  The  connection  in  which  this  rare  word  is  used  in  the  Psalm, 
"divide  their  tongues,"  seems  to  determine  its  reference  in  the  present 
passage  to  the  confusion  of  tongues  and  consequent  dispersion  of  man- 
kind recorded  in  the  following  chapter.  This  affords  a  probable  answer 
to  our  first  question.  The  land  was  in  Iils  days  divided  among  the 
representative  heads  of  the  various  nations.  But  to  what  point  of 
time  are  we  directed  by  the  phrase  in  his  days  ?  Tins  the  land  divided 
at  his  birth,  or  some  subsequent  period  of  his  life  ?  The  latter  is  pos- 
sible, as  Jacob  and  Gideon  received  new  names,  and  Joshua  an  altered 
name,  in  after-life.  The  phrase  ^?^  his  days  seems  to  look  the  same 
way.  And  the  short  interval  from  the  deluge  to  his  birth  appears 
scarcely  to  suffice  for  such  an  increase  of  the  human  family  as  to  allow 
of  a  separation  into  nations.  Yet,  on  the  other  hand,  it  is  hard  to  find 
any  event  in  aftei'-life  which  connected  this  individual  moi-e  than  any 
other  Avith  the  dispersion  of  man.  It  is  customary  to  give  the  name 
at  birth.  The  phrase  in  his  days  may,  without  any  straining,  refer  to 
this  period.  And  if  v/e  suppose,  at  a  time  when  there  were  only  a 
few  families  on  the  earth,  an  average  increase  of  ten  children  in  each  in 
four  generations,  we  shall  have  a  thousand,  or  twelve  hundred  full- 
grown  persons,  and,  therefore,  may  have  five  hundred  families  at  the 
birtli  of  Peleg.     We  cannot  suppose  more  than  fifty-five  nations  distin- 


GEN.  X.  21-32.  265 

gui:hed  from  one  another  at  the  dispersion,  as  Ileber  is  the  fifty-fiftli 
name,  and  all  the  others  are  descended  from  him.  And  if  three  families 
were  sufficient  to  propagate  the  race  after  the  flood,  nine  or  ten  were 
enough  to  constitute  a  primeval  tribe  or  nation.  TTe  see  some  reason, 
therefore,  to  take  the  birth  of  Peleg  as  the  occasion  on  which  he 
received  his  name,  and  no  stringent  reason  for  fixing  upon  any  later 
date.  At  all  events  the  question  seems  to  be  of  no  chronological 
importance,  as  in  any  case  only  four  generations  preceded  Peleg,  and 
these  might  have  been  of  comparatively  longer  or  shorter  duration 
without  materially  affecting  the  number  of  mankind  at  the  time  of  his 
birth.  Peleg  is  also  remarkable  as  the  head  of  that  nation  out  of 
which,  at  an  after  period,  the  peculiar  people  of  God  sprang.  Of  the 
Palgites,  as  a  whole,  we  hear  little  or  nothing  further  in  history. 

(57)  Joctan,  if  little  or  insignificant  as  an  individual  or  a  nation, 
is  the  progenitor  of  a  large  group  of  tribes,  finding  their  place  among 
the  wandering  races  included  afterwards  under  the  name  Arab. 
Cachtan,  as  the  Arabs  designate  him  in  their  traditions,  may  have 
given  name  to   Cachtan,  a  town  and  province  mentioned  by  Niebuhr. 

26-29.  The  thirteen  tribes  of  the  Joctanites  or  primitive  Arabs  are 
here  enumerated.  (58)  Almodad  is  usually  referred  to  Yemen.  The 
first  syllable  may  be  the  Arabic  article.  Mudad  is  the  name  of  one 
celebrated  in  Ai-ab  story  as  the  stepfather  of  Ishmael  and  chief  of  the 
Jurhum  tribe  of  Joctanites.  The  'AXXovjj.aLtl)Tat  of  Ptolemy  belonged 
to  the  interior  of  Arabia  Felix.  (59)  Shelejih  is  traced  in  the  '2,aXa-7]vo\ 
of  Ptolemy  (6.  7),  belonging  to  the  interior,  (GO)  Hazarmaveth  gives 
name  to  a  district  on  the  Indian  Ocean,  abounding  in  spices,  now  called 
Hadramaut.  This  tribe  is  the  Chatramitae  of  Greek  writers.  (61) 
Jerah  occupied  a  district  where  are  the  coast  and  mountain  of  the 
moon,  near  Hadramaut.  (62)  Hadoram  is  preserved  in  the  tribe  called 
'ASpa/AiTat  Ati-amitae,  placed  by  Pliny  (6.  28)  between  the  Ilomerites 
and  the  Sachalites  on  the  south  coast  of  Arabia.  (63)  Uzal  perhaps 
gave  the  ancient  name  of  Azal  to  Sana,  the  capital  of  Yemen,  a  place 
still  celebrated  for  the  manufacture  of  beautiful  stuffs.  (64)  Diclah 
settled  possibly  in  the  palm-bearing  region  of  the  Minaei  in  Hejaz. 
(65)  Obal  is  otherwise  unknown.  (66)  Ahimael  is  equally  obscure. 
Bochart  supposes  there  is  a  trace  of  the  name  in  MaAi,  a  place  in  Ara- 
bia Aromatifera.  (67)  Sheha  is  the  progenitor  of  the  Sabaei  in  Arabia 
Felix,  celebrated  for  spices,  gold,  and  precious  stones,  and  noted  for 
the  prosperity  arising  from  traffic  in  these  commodities.  A  queen  of 
Sheba  visited  Solomon.     The  dominant  family  among   the   Sabajans 


236  SHEM. 

was  that  of  Himjar,  from  whom  the  Himjarites  (Homeritte)  of  a  later 
period  descended, 

(68)  Opliir  gave  name  to  a  country  celebrated  for  gold,  j^i'^cious 
stones,  and  almug  wood,  which  seems  to  have  lain  on  the  south  side 
of  Arabia,  where  these  products  may  be  found.  What  kind  of  tree  the 
almug  is  has  not  been  clearly  ascertained.  Some  suppose  it  to  be  the 
sandal  wood  which  grows  in  Persia  and  India ;  others,  a  species  of 
pine.  If  this  wood  was  not  native,  it  may  have  been  imported  from 
more  distant  countries  to  Ophir,  which  was  evidently  a  great  emporium. 
Others,  however,  have  suppo;?ed  Ophir  to  be  in  India,  or  Eastern  Africa. 
The  chief  argument  for  a  more  distant  locality  arises  from  the  supposed 
three  years'  voyage  to  it  from  Ezion-geber,  and  the  products  obtained 
in  the  country  so  reached.  But  the  three  years'  voyage  (1  Kings  x. 
22;  2  Chron.  ix.  21)  seems  to  be  in  reality  to  Tai-shish,  a  very  differ- 
ent region. 

(G9)  HavilaJi  here  is  the  founder  of  a  Joctanite  tribe  of  Arabs,  and 
therefore  his  territory  must  be  sought  somewhere  in  the  extensive 
country  which  was  occupied  by  these  wandering  tribes.  A  trace  of 
the  name  is  probably  preserved  in  Khawlan,  a  district  lying  in  the 
northwest  of  Yemen,  between  Sana  and  Mecca,  though  the  tribe  may 
have  originally  settled  or  extended  further  north.  (70)  Jobah  has  been 
compared  with  the  'Iw/^apiTai  of  Ptolemy  (6,  7).  Bochart  finds  the 
name  in  the  Arabic  yohah^  a  desert. 

29.  The  situation  of  Mesha  is  uncertain.  But  it  is  obviously  the 
western  boundary  of  the  settlement,  and  may  have  been  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Mecca  and  Medina.  Sephar  is  perhaps  the  Arabic  Zaph- 
ari,  called  by  the  natives  Isfor,  a  town  on  the  south  coast  near  Mirbat. 
It  seems,  however,  to  be,  in  the  present  passage,  the  "  mount  of  the 
east "  itself,  a  thuriferous  range  of  hills,  adjacent,  it  may  be,  to  the  sea- 
port so-called.  Gesenius  and  othei-s  fix  upon  Mesene,  an  island  at  the 
head  of  the  Persian  Gulf,  as  the  Mesha  of  the  text.  But  this  island 
may  have  had  no  existence  at  the  time  of  the  Joctanite  settlement. 
These  boundaries  include  the  greater  part  of  the  west  and  south  coast 
of  the  peninsula,  and  are  therefore  sufficient  to  embrace  the  provinces 
of  liejaz  (in  part),  Yemen,  and  Iladramaut,  and  afford  space  for  the 
settlements  of  the  thirteen  sons  of  Joctan.  The  limits  thus  marked 
out  determine  that  all  these  settlers,  Ophir  among  the  rest,  were  at  first 
to  be  found  in  Arabia,  how  ^^.r  soever  they  may  have  wandered  from 
it  afterwards. 

31,  32.  The  first  of  these  verses  contains  the  usual  closing  formula 


GEX.  X.  21-32.  237 

for  the  pedigree  of  the  Shemite  tribes  ;  and  the  second,  the  correspond- 
ing form  for  the  whole  table  of  nations. 

From  a  review  of  these  lauds  it  is  evident  that  Shem  occupied  a 
much  smaller  extent  of  territory  than  either  of  his  brothers.  The 
mountains  beyond  the  Tigris,  the  Persian  Gulf,  the  Red  Sea,  the  Le- 
vant, the  Archipelago,  and  the  Black  Sea,  bound  the  countries  that 
were  in  part  peoj)led  by  Shem.  Arabia,  Syria,  and  Assyria  con- 
tained the  great  bulk  of  the  Shemites,  intermingled  with  some  of  the 
Hamites.  The  Kusliites,  Kenaanites,  and  Philistines  trench  upon  their 
ground.  The  rest  of  the  Hamites  peopled  Africa,  and  such  countries 
as  were  supplied  from  it.  The  Japhethites  spread  over  all  the  rest  of 
the  world. 

In  this  table  there  are  seventy  names,  exclusive  of  Nimrod,  of 
heads  of  families,  tribes,  or  nations  descended  from  the  three  sons  of 
Noah, — fourteen  from  Japheth,  thirty  from  Ham,  and  twenty-six  from 
Shem.  Among  the  heads  of  tribes  descended  from  Japheth  are  seven 
grandsons.  Among  those  from  Ilam  are  twenty-three  grandsons  and 
three  great-grandsons.  Among  those  of  Shem  are  five  grandsons,  one 
great-grandson,  two  of  the  fourth  generation,  and  thirteen  of  the  fifth. 
Whence  it  appears  that  the  subdivisions  are  traced  further  in  Ham 
and  much  further  in  Shem  than  in  Japheth,  and  that  they  are  [)ur- 
sued  only  in  those  lines  which  are  of  importance  for  the  coming 
events  in  the  history  of  Shem. 

It  is  to  be  observed,  also,  that,  though  the  different  races  are  distin- 
guished by  the  diversity  of  tongues,  yet  the  different  languages  are 
much  less  numerous  than  the  tribes.  The  eleven  tribes  of  Kenaan- 
ites, and  the  thirteen  tribes  of  Joctanites,  making  allowance  for  some 
tribal  peculiarities,  most  probably  spoke  at  first  only  two  dialects  of 
one  family  of  languages,  which  we  have  designated  the  Hebrew,  itself 
a  branch  of,  if  not  identical  with,  what  is  commonly  called  the  Shera- 
itic.  Hence  some  Hamites  spoke  the  language  of  Shem.  A  similar 
community  of  language  may  have  occurred  in  some  other  instances  of 
diversity  of  descent. 


238  THE  CONEUSION  OF  TONGUES. 


XXXIV.    THE  CONEDSION  OF  TONGUES.  —  Gen.  xi.  1-9. 

1.  ^Q':  pluck  out,  break  up,  journey.  fi'i|5T3  eastward,  or  on  the  east 
side,  as  in  Gen.  ii.  14,  xiii.  11  ;  Isaiah  ix.  11  (12). 

6.  oVtifi  their  beginning,  for  fi^Hfi  the  regular  form  of  this  infinitive 
with  a  suffix,     >inT^  as  if  from  dT^  =  D^T. 

7.  n^n3  usually  said  to  be  for  rkhi  from  b\'z  ;  but  evidently  designed 
by  the  punctuator  to  be  the  thrid  sing.  fem.  perf.  of  ^33  to  be  con- 
founded, having  for  its  subject  Sisb,  "  and  there  let  their  lip  be  con- 
founded."    The  two  verbs  have  the  same  root. 

9.  ^23  Babel,  confusion,  derived  from  ^2  the  common  root  of  bba 
and  ^23,  by  doubling  the  first  radical. 


XI,  1,  And  the  whole  land  was  of  one  lip,  and  one  stock 
of  words,  2.  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  they  journeyed  eastward, 
that  they  found  a  plain  in  the  land  of  Shinar  ;  and  tliey  dwelt 
there.  3.  And  they  said  one  to  another,  Go  to,  let  us  make 
brick,  and  burn  tliem  thoroughly.  And  they  had  brick  for 
stone,  and  asphalt  had  they  for  mortar.  4.  And  they  said.  Go 
to,  let  us  build  us  a  city,  and  a  tower  whose  top  may  be  in 
the  sky,  and  let  us  make  us  a  name ;  lest  we  be  scattered 
abroad  upon  the  face  of  the  whole  land.  5.  And  the  Lord 
came  down  to  see  the  city  and  the  tower,  which  the  sons  of 
man  had  builded.  6.  And  the  Lord  said,  Behold,  the  people 
is  one,  and  they  have  all  one  lip,  and  this  they  have  begun  to 
do ;  and  now  nothing  will  be  restrained  from  them,  which 
they  have  imagined  to  do.  7.  Go  to,  let  us  go  down,  and  there 
confound  their  lip,  that  they  may  not  understand  one  an- 
other's lip.  8.  And  the  Lord  scattered  them  abroad  thence 
upon  the  face  of  all  the  land ;  and  they  left  off  to  build  the 
city.  9.  Therefore  was  the  name  of  it  called  Babel,  because 
the  Lord  had  there  confounded  the  lip  of  all  the  land  ;  and 
tlicncc  had  the  Lord  scattered  them  abroad  upon  the  face  of 
all  the  land.  1[  15. 


GEN.  XI.  1-9.  239 

Having  completed  the  table  of  nations,  the  sacred  writer,  according 
to  his  wont,  goes  back  to  record  an  event  of  great  moment,  both  for  the 
explanation  of  this  table  and  for  the  future  history  of  the  human  race. 
The  point  to  which  he  reverts  is  the  birth  of  Peleg.  The  present 
singular  passage  explains  the  nature  of  that  unprecedented  change  by 
which  mankind  passed  from  one  family  with  a  mutually  intelligible 
speech,  into  many  nations  of  diverse  tongues  and  lands. 

1.  The  previous  state  of  human  language  is  here  briefly  described. 
The  ivhole  land  evidently  means  the  whole  then  known  world  with  all 
its  human  inhabitants.  The  universality  of  application  is  clearly  and 
constantly  maintained  throughout  the  whole  passage.  "  Behold,  the 
people  is  one."  And  the  close  is  on  this  point  in  keeping  with  the 
commencement.  "  Therefore  was  the  name  of  it  called  Babel,  because 
the  Lord  had  there  confounded  the  lip  of  all  the  land." 

Of  one  lip,  and  one  stock  of  words.  In  the  tabh;  of  nations  the 
term  "  tongue  "  was  used  to  signify  what  is  here  expressed  by  two 
terms.  This  is  not  undesigned.  The  two  terms  are  not  synonymous 
or  parallel,  as  they  form  the  parts  of  one  compound  predicate.  "  One 
stock  of  words,"  then,  we  conceive,  naturally  indicates  the  matter,  the 
substance,  or  material  of  language.  This  was  one  and  the  same  to 
the  whole  race.  The  term  "  lip,"  which  is  properly  one  of  the  organs 
of  articulation,  is,  on  the  other  hand,  used  to  denote  the  form,  that  is, 
the  manner,  of  speaking  ;  the  mode  of  using  and  connecting  the  matter 
of  speech ;  the  system  of  laws  by  which  the  inflections  and  derivations 
of  a  language  are  conducted.  This  also  was  one  throughout  the 
human  family.  Thus  the  sacred  writer  has  expressed  the  unity  of 
language  among  mankind,  not  by  a  single  term  as  before,  but,  with  a 
view  to  his  present  purpose,  by  a  combination  of  terms  expressing  the 
two  elements  which  go  to  constitute  every  organic  reality. 

2-4.  The  occasion  of  the  lingual  change  about  to  be  described  is 
here  narrated.  As  they  journeyed  eastward.  The  word  "  they  "  refers 
to  the  whole  land  of  the  previous  verse,  which  is  put  by  a  common 
figure  for  the  whol^  race  of  man.  "  Eastward  "  is  proved  to  be  the 
meaning  of  the  phrase  vy^ri  by  Gen.  xiii.  11,  where  Lot  is  said  to 
journey  (a']',?-;)  from  Bethel  to  the  phdn  of  the  Jordan,  which  is  to  the 
east.  The  human  race,  consisting  it  might  be  of  five  hundred  families, 
journeys  eastward,  with  a  few  points  of  deflection  to  the  south,  along 
the  Euphrates  valley,  and  comes  to  a  plain  of  surpassing  fertility  in 
the  land  of  Shinar  (Herod,  i.  178,  193).  A  determination  to  make  a 
permanent  abode  in  this  productive  spot  is  immediately  formed. 


240  THE  CONTUSION  OF  TONGUES. 

3,  4.  A  building  is  to  be  erected  of  brick  and  asphalt.  Tlie  Baby- 
lonian soil  is  still  celebrated  for  these  architectural  materials.  There 
is  here  a  fine  clay,  mingled  with  sand,  forming  the  very  best  material 
for  brick,  while  stones  are  not  to  be  found  at  a  convenient  distance. 
Asphalt  is  found  boiling  up  from  the  soil  in  the  neighborhood  of  Bab- 
ylon and  of  the  Dead  Sea,  which  is  hence  called  the  lacus  Aspkaltites. 
The  asphalt  springs  of  Is  or  Hit  on  the  Euphrates  are  celebrated  by 
many  writers.  Burn  them  tJioroughJy.  Sun-dried  bricks  are  very 
much  used  in  the  East  for  building  purposes.  These,  however,  were 
to  be  burned,  and  thereby  rendered  more  durable.  Brick  for  stone. 
This  indicates  a  writer  belonging  to  a  country  and  an  age  in  which 
stone  buildings  were  familiar,  and  therefore  not  to  Babylonia.  Brick- 
making  was  well-known  to  Moses  in  Egypt ;  but  this  country  also 
abounds  in  quarries  and  splendid  erections  of  stone,  and  the  Sinaltic 
peninsula  is  a  mass  of  granitic  hills.  The  Shemites  mostly  inhabited 
countries  abounding  in  stone.  Asphalt  for  mortar.  Asphalt  is  a  min- 
eral pitch.  The  word  rendered  mortar  means  at  first  clay,  and  then 
any  kind  of  cement. 

4.  The  purpose  of  their  hearts  is  now  more  fully  expressed.  Bet 
us  build  us  a  city,  and  a  tower  whose  top  may  he  in  the  shies.  A  city 
is  a  fortified  enclosure  or  keep  for  defence  against  the  violence  of  the 
brute  creation.  A  tower  vv'hose  top  may  be  in  the  skies  for  escape 
from  the  possibility  of  a  periodical  deluge.  This  is  the  language  of 
pride  in  man,  who  wishes  to  know  nothing  above  himself,  and  to  rise 
beyond  the  reach  of  an  over-ruling  Providence.  A}id  let  us  maue  us  a 
name.  A  name  indicates  distinction  and  preeminence.  To  make  us 
a  name,  then,  is  not  so  much  the  cry  of  the  multitude  as  of  the  few, 
with  Nimrod  at  their  head,  who  alone  could  expect  that  v/hich  is  not 
common,  but  distinctive.  It  is  here  artfully  inserted,  however,  in  the 
popular  exclamation,  as  the  people  are  prone  to  imagine  the  glory 
even  of  the  despot  to  be  reflected  on  themselves.  This  gives  the  char- 
acter of  a  lurking  desire  for  empire  and  self-aggrandizement  to  the 
design  of  the  leaders,  —  a  new  form  of  the  same  selfish  spirit  which 
animated  the  antediluvian  men  of  name  (Gen.  vi.  4).  But  despotism 
for  the  few  or  the  one,  implies  slavery  and  all  its  unnumbered  ills  for 
tlie  many.  Best  we  he  scattered  abroad  upon  the  face  of  the  whole 
land.  The  varied  instincts  of  their  common  nature  here  speak  forth. 
The  social  bond,  the  tie  of  kinsmanship,  the  wifh  for  personal  safety, 
the  desire  to  be  independent,  perhaps  even  of  God,  the  thirst  for  abso- 
lute power,  all  plead  for  union  ;  but  it  is  union  for  selfish  ends. 


GEN.  XL  1-9.  241 

0-7.  These  verses  describe  the  nature  of  that  change  by  which 
this  form  of  human  selfishness  is  to  be  checked.  5.  The  Lord  came 
down.  The  interposing  providence  of  God  is  here  set  forth  in  a  sub- 
lime simplicity,  suited  to  the  early  mind  of  man.  Still  there  is  some- 
thing here  characteristic  of  the  times  after  the  deluge.  The  presence 
of  the  Lord  seems  not  to  have  been  withdrawn  from  the  earth  before 
that  event.  He  walked  in  the  garden  when  Adam  and  Eve  were 
there.  He  placed  the  ministers  and  symbols  of  his  presence  before  it 
when  they  were  expelled.  He  expostulated  with  Cain  before  and 
after  his  awful  crime.  He  said,  "  My  Spirit  shall  not  always  strive 
with  man."  He  saw  the  wickedness  of  man  ;  and  the  land  was  corrupt 
hefore  him.  He  communicated  with  Noah  in  various  ways,  and  finally 
established  his  covenant  with  him.  In  all  this  he  seems  to  have  been 
present  with  man  on  earth.  He  lingered  in  the  garden  as  long  as  his 
forbearance  could  be  expected  to  influence  man  for  good.  He  at  length 
appointed  the  limit  of  a  hundred  and  twenty  years.  And  after  watch- 
ing over  Noah  during  the  deluge,  he  seems  to  have  withdi-awn  his 
visible  and  gracious  presence  from  the  earth.  Hence  the  propriety  of 
the  phrase,  "  the  Lord  came  down."  He  still  deals  in  mercy  with  a 
remnant  of  the  human  race,  and  has  visited  the  earth  and  manifested 
his  presence  in  a  wondrous  way.  But  he  has  not  yet  taken  up  his 
abode  among  men  as  he  did  in  the  garden,  and  as  he  intimates  that  he 
will  sometime  do  on  the  renovated  earth. 

6.  In  like  simplicity  is  depicted  the  self-willed,  god-defying  spirit 
of  combination  and  ambition  which  had  now  budded  in  the  imagination 
of  man.  The  people  is  o?ie,  —  one  race,  with  one  purpose.  And  they 
have  all  one  lip.  They  understand  one  another's  mind.  No  misun- 
derstanding has  arisen  from  diversity  of  language.  This  is  their 
heginning.  The  beginning  of  sin,  like  that  of  strife,  is  as  when  one 
letteth  out  water.  The  Lord  sees  in  this  commencement  the  seed  of 
growing  evil.  All  sin  is  dim  and  small  in  its  first  rise ;  but  it  swells 
by  insensible  degrees  to  the  most  glaring  and  gigantic  proportions. 
And  noiv  nothing  will  be  restrained  from  them,  xohich  they  have  imagined 
to  do.  Now  that  they  have  made  this  notable  beginning  of  concentra- 
tion, ambition,  and  renown,  there  is  nothing  in  tliis  way  which  they 
will  not  imagine  or  attempt. 

7.  Here  is  announced  the  means  by  which  the  defiant  sj^irit  of  con- 
centration is  to  be  defeated.  From  this  and  the  previous  verse  we 
learn  that  the  lip,  and  not  the  stock  of  words,  is  the  part  of  language 
which  is  to  be  affected,  and  hence  perceive  the   propriety  of  distin- 

01 


242  THE  CONFUSION  OF  TONGUES. 

guishing  these  two  in  the  introductory  statement.  To  confound,  is  to 
introduce  several  kinds,  where  before  there  was  only  one ;  and  so  in 
the  present  case  to  introduce  several  varieties  of  form,  whereas .  lan- 
guage was  before  of  one  form.  Hence  it  appears  that  the  one  primi- 
tive tongue  was  made  manifold  by  diversifying  the  law  of  structure, 
without  interfering  with  the  material  of  which  it  Avas  composed.  The 
bases  or  roots  of  words  are  furnished  by  instinctive  and  evanescent 
analogies  between  sounds  and  things,  on  which  the  etymological  law 
then  plays  its  part,  and  so  vocables  come  into  existence.  Thus  from 
the  root  fer,  we  getybr,  ferre,  ferens,  fert,  ferehat,  feret,  ferat,  ferret ; 
<^e/3£,  <J3£peLv,  cj)€pwv,  cficpcL,  £<;&epc,  4*^PJ},  ^^poi,  etc. ;  ^'^5  tllS ,  fT^Q ,  iTi3 
iTnB'i,  etc.,  according  to  the  formative  law  of  each  language.  It  is 
evident  that  some  roots  may  become  obsolete  and  so  die  out,  v/hile 
others,  according  to  the  exigencies  of  communication  and  the  abilities 
of  the  speaker,  may  be  called  into  existence  in  great  abundance.  But 
whatever  new  words  come  into  the  stock,  are  made  to  comply  with  the 
formative  law  which  regulates  the  language  of  the  speaker.  This  law 
has  been  fixed  as  the  habitude  of  his  mind,  from  which  he  only  deviates 
on  learning  and  imitating  some  of  the  formative  processes  of  another 
tongue.  In  the  absence  of  any  other  language,  it  is  not  conceivable 
that  he  should  on  any  account  alter  tins  law.  To  do  so  would  be  to 
rebel  against  habit  without  reason,  and  to  put  himself  out  of  relation 
with  the  other  speakers  of  the  only  known  tongue. 

The  sacred  writer  does  not  care  to  distinguish  the  ordinary  from 
the  extraordinary  in  the  procedure  of  Divine  Providence,  inasmuch  as 
he  ascribes  all  events  to  the  one  creating,  superintending,  and  admin- 
istering power  of  God.  Yet  there  is  something  beyond  nature  here. 
IVe  can  understand  and  observe  the  introduction  of  new  words  into 
the  vocabulary  of  man  as  often  as  the  necessity  of  designating  a  new 
■object  or  process  calls  the  naming  faculty  into  exercise.  But  the  new 
word,  whether  a  root  or  not,  if  engrafted  into  the  language,  invariably 
obeys  the  formative  law  of  the  speech  into  which  it  is  admitted.  A 
nation  adds  new  words  to  its  vocabulary,  but  does  not  of  itself,  without 
external  influence,  alter  the  principle  on  which  they  are  formed.  Here, 
then,  the  divine  interference  was  necessary,  if  the  uniform  was  ever 
to  become  multiform.  And  accordinglj'^  this  is  the  very  point  in  which 
"the  historian  marks  the  interposition  of  the  Almighty. 

Philologists  have  distinguished  three  or  four  great  types  or  families 
'of  languages.  Tlie  first  of  these  was  the  Shemitic  or  Hebrew  family. 
It  is  probable  that  most  of  the  Shemites  spoke  dialects  of  this  well- 


GEN.  XI.  1-9.  243 

defined  type  of  human  speech.  Aram  (the  Syrian';),  Arpakshad,  (the 
Hebrews  and  Arabs),  and  Asshur  (the  Assyrians),  certainly  did  so. 
Elam  (Elymais),  succumbed  first  to  the  Kushite  race  (KtWtct,  Kocr- 
o-atoi)  and  afterwards  to  the  Persian,  and  so  lost  its  language  and  its 
individuality  among  the  nations.  Lud  (the  Lydians)  was  also  over- 
run by  other  nationalities.  But  this  type  of  language  was  extended 
beyond  the  Shemites  to  the  Kenaanites  and  perhaps  some  other 
Hamites.     It  includes  the  language  of  the  Old  Testament. 

The  second  family  of  languages  has  been  variously  designated 
Japhetic,  Indo-Gcrmanic,  Indo-European  and  Arian.  It  is  spoken  by 
the  great  bulk  of  the  descendants  of  Japheth,  and  embraces  a  series 
of  cognate  modes  of  communication,  extending  from  India  to  the  various 
European  colonies  of  America.  It  includes  Greek,  the  tongue  of  the 
New  Testament. 

A  third  class,  including  the  Kushite  (Babylonian),  Egyptian,  and 
other  African  languages,  has  been  termed  Hamitic.  Some  of  its  stocks 
have  affinities  both  with  the  Shemitic  and  Japhetic  families. 

It  is  probable  that  the  congeries  of  unclassed  languages  (Allophy- 
lian,  Sporadic,  Tui-anian),  including  even  the  Chinese  tongues,  have 
relations  more  or  less  intimate  with  one  or  other  of  these  three  tolerably 
definite  families.  But  the  science  of  comparative  philology  is  only 
approaching  the  solution  of  its  final  problem,  the  historical  or  natural 
relationship  of  all  the  languages  of  the  world.  It  is  evident,  however, 
that  the  principle  of  classification  is  not  so  much  the  amount  of  roots 
in  common,  as  the  absence  or  presence  of  a  given  form.  The  diversity 
in  the  matter  may  be  brought  about  by  assignable  natural  causes ;  but 
the  diversity  in  the  form  can  only  arise  from  a  preternatural  impulse. 
Forms  may  wear  off";  but  they  do  not  pass  from  one  constituent  law 
to  another  without  foreign  influence.  The  speech  of  a  strong  and 
numerous  race  may  gradually  overbear  and  annihilate  that  of  a  weak 
one  ;  and  in  doing  so  may  adopt  many  of  its  words,  but  by  no  means 
its  form.  So  long  as  a  national  speech  retains  any  of  its  forms,  they 
continue  to  be  part  of  that  special  type  by  which  it  is  characterized. 

Hence  we  perceive  that  the  interposition  of  Providence  in  con- 
founding the  lip  of  mankind,  is  the  historical  solution  of  the  enigma  of 
philology;  the  existence  of  diversity  of  language  at  the  same  time  with 
the  natural  persistency  of  form  and  the  historical  unity  of  the  human 
race.  The  data  of  philology,  indicating  that  the  form  is  the  side  of 
language  needing  to  be  touched  in  order  to  produce  diversity,  coincide 
vlo  with  the  facts  here  narrated.     The  preternatural  diversification 


244  THE  CONFUSION  OF  TONGUES. 

of  the  form,  moreover,  marks  the  order  amid  variety  which  prevailed 
in  this  great  revolution  of  mental  habitude.  It  is  not  necessary  to 
suppose  that  seventy  languages  were  produced  from  one  at  the  very 
crisis  of  this  remarkable  change,  but  only  the  few  generic  forms  that 
sufficed  to  effect  the  divine  purpose,  and  by  their  interaction  to  give 
origin  to  all  subsequent  varieties  of  language  or  dialect.  Nor  are  we 
to  imagine  that  the  variant  principles  of  formation  went  into  practical 
development  all  at  once,  but  only  that  they  started  a  process  which, 
in  combination  with  other  operative  causes,  issued  in  all  the  diversities 
of  speech  which  are  now  exhibited  in  the  human  race. 

Tliut  they  may  not  understand  one  another's  Up.  This  is  the  imme- 
diate result  of  diversifying  the  formative  law  of  human  speech,  even 
though  the  material  elements  were  to  remain  much  the  same  as  before. 
Further  results  will  soon  appear. 

8,  9.  The  effect  of  the  divine  interposition  is  here  noted.  And  the 
Lord  scattered  them  abroad.  Not  understanding  one  another's  mode 
of  speech,  they  feel  themselves  practically  separated  from  one  another. 
Unity  of  counsel  and  of  action  becomes  impossible.  Misunderstanding 
naturally  follows,  and  begets  mistrust.  Diversity  of  interest  grows  up, 
and  separation  ensues.  Those  who  have  a  common  speech  retreat 
from  the  cisntre  of  union  to  a  sequestered  spot,  where  they  may  form 
a  separate  community  among  themselves.  The  want  of  pasture  for 
their  flocks  and  provision  for  themselves  leads  to  a  progressive  migra- 
tion. Thus  the  divine  purpose,  that  they  should  be  fruitful  and  mul- 
tiply and  replenish  the  land  (Gen.  ix.  1)  is  fulfilled.  The  dispersion 
of  mankind  at  the  same  time  put  an  end  to  the  ambitious  projects  of 
the  few.  They  left  off  to  build  the  city.  It  is  probable  that  the  people 
began  to  see  through  the  plausible  veil  which  the  leaders  had  cast 
over  their  selfish  ends.  The  city  would  henceforth  be  abandoned  to 
the  immediate  party  of  Nimrod.  This  would  interrupt  for  a  time  the 
building  of  the  city.  Its  dwellings  would  probably  be  even  too  numer- 
ous for  its  remaining  inhabitants.  The  city  received  the  name  of  Babel 
(confusion),  from  the  remarkable  event  which  had  interrupted  its  prog- 
ress for  a  time. 

This  passage,  then,  explains  the  table  of  nations,  in  which  they  are 
said  to  be  distinguished,  not  merely  by  birth  and  land,  but  "  every  one 
after  his  tongue."  It  is  therefore  attached  to  the  table  as  a  needful 
appendix,  and  thus  completes  the  history  of  the  nations  so  far  as  it  is 
carried  on  by  the  Bible.  At  this  point  the  line  of  history  leaves  the 
universal,  and  by  a  rapid  contraction  narrows  itself  into  the  individual, 


GEN.  XI.  1-9.  245 

in  the  person  of  him  who  is  to  be  uhimately  the  parent  of  a  chosen 
seed,  in  which  the  knowledge  of  God  and  of  his  truth  is  to  be  preserved, 
amidst  the  degeneracy  of  the  nations  into  the  ignorance  and  error 
which  are  the  natural  offspring  of  sin. 

Here,  accordingly,  ends  the  appendix  to  the  second  Bible,  or  the 
second  volume  of  the  revelation  of  God  to  man.  As  the  first  may 
have  been  due  to  Adam,  the  second  may  be  ascribed  in  point  of  matter 
to  Noah,  with  Shem  as  his  continuator.  The  two  joined  together 
belong  not  to  a  peculiar  people,  but  to  the  universal  race.  If  they  had 
ever  appeared  in  a  written  form  before  Moses,  they  might  have  de- 
scended to  the  Gentiles  as  well  as  to  the  IsraeHtes.  But  the  want  of 
interest  in  holy  things  would  account  for  their  disappearance  among 
the  former.  The  speakers  of  the  primitive  language,  however,  would 
alone  retain  the  knowledge  of  such  a  book  if  extant.  Some  of  its  con- 
tents might  be  pi*eserved  in  the  memory,  and  handed  down  to  the 
posterity  of  the  founders  of  the  primeval  nations.  Accordingly  we 
find  more  or  less  distinct  traces  of  the  true  God,  the  creation,  the  fall 
and  the  deluge,  in  the  traditions  of  all  nations  that  have  an  ancient 
history. 

But  even  if  this  tAvo-volumed  Bible  were  not  possessed  by  the  na- 
tions in  a  written  form,  its  presence  here,  at  the  head  of  the  writings 
of  divine  truth,  marks  the  catholic  design  of  the  Old  Testament, 
and  intimates  the  comprehension  of  the  whole  family  of  man  within 
the  merciful  purposes  of  the  Almighty.  In  the  issues  of  Providence 
the  nations  appear  now  to  be  abandoned  to  their  own  devices.  Such 
a  judicial  forsaking  of  a  race,  who  had  a  second  time  heard  the  procla- 
mation of  his  mercy,  and  a  second  time  forsaken  the  God  of  their 
fathers,  was  naturally  to  be  expected.  But  it  is  never  to  be  forgotten 
that  God  twice  revealed  his  mercy  to  the  whole  human  race  before  they 
were  left  to  their  own  ways.  And  even  when  they  were  given  over 
to  their  own  wilful  unrighteousness  and  ungodliness,  it  was  only  to 
institute  and  develop  the  mystery  by  which  they  might  be  again  fully 
and  effectually  brought  back  to  reconciliation  with  God. 

The  new  developments  of  sin  during  this  period  are  chiefly  three,  — • 
drunkenness,  dishonoring  of  a  parent,  and  the  ambitious  attempt  to  be 
independent  of  God's  power,  and  to  thwart  his  purpose  of  peopling  the 
land.  These  forms  of  human  selfishness  still  linger  about  the  primary 
commands  of  the  two  tables.  Insubordination  to  the  supreme  authority 
of  God  is  accompanied  with  disrespect  to  parental  authority.  Drunk- 
enness itself  is  an  abuse  of  the  free  grant  of  the  fruit  of  the  trees  origi- 


246  THE  CONTUSION  OF  TONGUES. 

nally  made  to  man.  These  manifestations  of  sin  do  not  advance  to 
the  grosser  or  more  subtle  depths  of  iniquity  afterwards  explicitly 
forbidden  in  the  ten  commandments.  They  indicate  a  people  still 
comparatively  unsophisticated  in  their  habits. 

The  additional  motives  brought  to  bear  on  the  race  of  man  during 
the  interval  from  Noah  to  Abraham,  are  the  preaching  of  Noah,  the 
perdition  of  the  unbelieving  antediluvians,  the  pi'eservation  of  Noah 
and  his  family,  the  distinction  of  clean  and  unclean  animals,  the  per- 
mission to  partake  of  animal  food,  the  special  prohibition  of  the  shed- 
ding of  man's  blood,  the  institution  thereupon  of  civil  government,  and 
the  covenant  with  Noah  and  his  seed  that  there  should  not  be  another 
deluge. 

The  preaching  of  Noah  consisted  in  pressing  the  invitations  and 
warnings  of  divine  mercy  on  a  wicked  race.  But  it  bore  with  new 
power  on  the  succeeding  generations,  when  it  was  verified  by  the 
drowning  of  the  impenitent  race  and  the  saving  of  the  godly  household. 
This  was  an  awful  demonstration  at  the  same  time  of  the  divine  ven-^ 
geance  on  those  who  persisted  in  sin,  and  of  the  divine  mercy  to  the 
humble  and  the  penitent.  The  distinction  of  the  clean  and  the  unclean 
was  a  special  warning  against  that  conformity  with  the  world  by  which 
the  sons  of  God  had  died  out  of  the  human  race.  The  permission  to 
partake  of  animal  food  was  in  harmony  with  the  physical  constitution 
of  man,  and  seems  to  have  been  delayed  till  this  epoch  for  moral  as 
well  as  physical  reasons.  In  the  gai-den,  and  afterwards  in  Eden,  the 
vegetable  products  of  the  soil  Avere  adequate  to  the  healthy  sustenance 
of  man.  But  in  the  universal  diffusion  of  the  human  race,  animal  food 
becomes  necessary.  In  some  regions  where  man  has  settled,  this  alone 
is  available  for  a  great  portion  of  the  year,  if  not  for  the  whole.  And 
a  salutary  dread  of  death,  as  the  express  penalty  of  disobedience,  was 
a  needful  lesson  in  the  infancy  of  the  human  race.  But  the  over- 
whelming destruction  of  the  doomed  race  was  sufficient  to  impress  this 
lesson  indelibly  on  the  minds  of  the  survivors.  Hence  the  permission 
of  animal  food  might  now  be  safely  given,  especially  when  accompa- 
nied with  the  express  prohibition  of  manslaying,  under  the  penalty  of 
death  by  the  hands  of  the  executioner.  This  prohibition  was  directly 
intended  to  counteract  the  bad  example  of  Cain  and  Lamek,  and  to 
deter  those  who  slew  animals  from  slaying  men  ;  and  provision  was 
made  for  the  enforcement  of  its  penalty  by  the  institution  of  civil 
government.  The  covenant  with  Noah  was  a  recognition  of  the  race 
being  reconciled  to   God  in  its  new  head,  and  therefore  fitted  to  be 


GEN.  XL  1-9.  247 

treated  as  a  party  at  peace  with  God,  and  to  enter  on  terms  of  com- 
munion with  him.  Its  promise  of  security  from  destruction  by  a  flood 
was  a  pledge  of  all  greater  and  after  blessings  which  naturally  flow 
from  amity  with  God. 

Thus  we  perceive  that  the  revelation  of  God  to  the  antediluvian 
world  was  confirmed  in  many  respects,  and  enlarged  in  others,  by  that 
made  to  the  postdiluvians.  The  stupendous  events  of  the  deluge  were 
a  marvellous  confirmation  of  the  justice  and  mercy  of  God  revealed  to 
Adam.  The  preaching  of  Noah  was  a  new  mode  of  urging  the  truths 
of  God  on  the  minds  of  men,  now  somewhat  exercised  in  reflective 
thought.  The  distinction  of  clean  and  unclean  enforced  the  distinction 
that  really  exists  between  the  godly  and  the  ungodly.  The  prohibition 
of  shedding  human  blood  is  the  growth  of  a  specific  law  out  of  the 
great  principle  of  moral  rectitude  in  the  conscience,  apace  with  the 
development  of  evil  in  the  conduct  of  men.  The  covenant  with  Noah 
is  the  evolution  into  articulate  utterance  of  that  federal  relation  which 
was  virtually  formed  with  believing  and  repentant  Adam.  Adam 
himself  was  long  silent  in  the  depth  of  his  self-abasement  for  the 
disobedience  he  had  exhibited.  In  Noah  the  spirit  of  adoption  had 
attained  to  liberty  of  speech,  and  accordingly,  God,  on  the  momentous 
occasion  of  his  coming  out  of  the  ai-k  and  presenting  his  propitiatory 
and  eucharistic  offering,  enters  into  a  covenant  of  peace  with  him, 
assuring  him  of  certain  blessings. 

There  is  something  specially  interesting  in  this  covenant  with  Noah, 
as  it  embraces  the  whole  human  race,  and  is  in  force  to  this  day.  It  is 
as  truly  a  covenant  of  grace  as  that  with  Abraham.  It  is  virtually 
the  same  covenant,  only  in  an  earlier  and  less  developed  form.  Being 
made  with  Noah,  who  had  found  grace  in  the  eyes  of  the  Lord,  and 
added  to  the  foi-mer  expression  of  the  divine  favor  to  man,  it  explicitly 
mentions  a  benefit  which  is  merely  the  first  and  most  palpable  of  the 
series  of  benefits,  temporal  and  eternal,  flowing  from  the  grace  of  God, 
all  of  which  are  in  due  time  made  over  to  the  heirs  of  salvation.  We 
cannot  tell  how  many  of  the  Gentiles  explicitly  or  implicitly  consented  to 
this  general  covenant  and  partook  of  its  blessings.  But  it  is  only  just  to 
the  God  of  Noah  to  be  thankful  that  there  was  and  is  an  offer  of  mercy 
to  the  whole  family  of  man,  all  who  accept  of  which  are  partakers  of 
his  grace,  and  that  all  subsequent  covenants  only  help  to  the  ultimate 
and  universal  acceptance  of  that  fundamental  covenant  which,  though 
violated  by  Adam  and  all  his  ordinary  descendants,  was  yet  in  the 
fulness  of  time  to  be  implemented  by  him  who  became  the  seed  of  the 
woman  and  the  second  Adam. 


SECTION  IX.  — LINE  TO   ABEAM. 

XXXV.    THE  LINE  OF  ABRAM.  —  Go.n.  xi.  10-26. 

18.  SIS'!    ^en,  friend;  \.  feed,  delight  in,  enjoy. 

20.  ii*i"iiy  Serug,  vine-shoot. 

22.  "iin3  Nachor,  snorting. 

24.  triri  Terach,  delay'}  Ch. 

26.  D^ax  Abram,  Ai^^/i  father.     )y^  Haran,  mountaineer. 

10.  TliGSG  arc  the  gonerations  of  Shem :  Sliem  was  the  son 
of  a  hundred  years,  and  ])egat  Arpakshad  two  years  after  the 
flood.  11.  And  Shem  lived  after  he  begat  Arpakshad  five 
hundred  years,  and  begat  sons  and  daughters.         §  19. 

12.  And  Arpakshad  lived  five  and  thirty  years,  and  begat 
Shelah.  13.  And  Arpakshad  lived  after  he  begat  Shelah  three 
and  four  hundred  years,  and  begat  sons  and  daughters.   §  20. 

14.  And  Shelah  lived  thirty  years,  and  begat  Heber.  15. 
And  Shelah  lived  after  he  begat  Heber  tln-ee  and  four  hundred 
years,  and  begat  sons  and  daughters.  §  21. 

16.  And  Heber  lived  four  and  thirty  years,  and  begat  Peleg. 
17.  And  Heber  lived  after  he  begat  Peleg  thirty  and  four 
hundred  years,  and  begat  sons  and  daughters.  §  22. 

18.  And  Peleg  lived  thirty  years  and  begat  Reu.  19.  And 
Peleg  lived  after  he  begat  Reu  nine  and  two  hundred  years, 
and  begat  sons  and  daughters.  §  23. 

20.  And  Reu  lived  two  and  thirty  years,  and  begat  Serug. 
21.  And  Reu  lived  after  he  begat  Serug  seven  and  two  hundred 
years,  and  begat  sons  and  daughters.  §  24. 

22.  And  Serug  lived  thirty  years,  and  begat  Nahor.  23. 


GEN.  XI.  10-26. 


249 


And  Serug  lived  after  he  begat  Nalior  two  hundred  years,  and 
begat  sons  and  daughters.  §  25. 

24.  And  Nahor  lived  nine  and  twenty  years,  and  begat 
Terah.  25.  And  Nahor  lived  after  he  begat  Terah  nineteen 
and  a  hundred  years,  and  begat  sons  and  daughters.      §  26, 

26.  And  Terah  lived  seventy  years,  and  begat  Abram,  Nahor, 
and  Haran. 

The  usual  phrase,  These  are  the  generations,  marks  the  beginning  of 
the  fifth  document.  Accordingly,  we  now  enter  upon  a  new  phase  of 
human  development.  The  nations  have  gradually  departed  from  the 
living  God.  They  have  not,  however,  stopped  at  this  negative  stage 
of  ungodliness.  They  have  fallen  into  polj' theism  and  idolatry.  And 
the  knowledge  of  the  one  true  God,  the  Maker,  Possessor,  and  Up- 
holder of  heaven  and  earth,  is  on  the  verge  of  being  entirely  lost. 
Nevertheless  the  promises,  fii'st  to  the  race  of  Adam,  that  the  seed  of 
the  woman  should  bruise  the  serpent's  head,  and  next  to  the  family 
of  Noah,  that  the  Lord  should  be  the  God  of  Shem,  were  still  in  force. 
It  is  obvious,  from  the  latter  promise,  that  the  seed  of  the  woman  is  to 
be  expected  in  the  line  of  Shem. 

The  present  passage  contains  the  pedigree  of  Abram  from  Shem. 
From  this  it  appears  that  the  sacred  writer  here  reverts  to  the  second 
year  after  the  flood,  —  a  point  of  time  long  before  the  close  of  the  pre- 
ceding narrative.  Shetn  was  the  son  of  a  hundred  years,  or  in  his 
hundredth  year,  two  years  after  the  flood,  and  therefore  in  the  six 
hundred  and  third  yewc  of  Noah,  and  consequently  three  years  after 
Japheth.  Abram  was  the  twentieth,  inclusive,  from  Adam,  the  tenth 
from  Shem,  and  the  seventh  from  Ileber.  A  second  Kenan  is  inserted 
after  Ai-pakshad  in  the  Septuagint,  and  in  the  Gospel  according  to 
Luke.  But  this  name  does  not  occur  even  in  the  Septuagint  in  1 
Clu-on.  i.  24,  where  the  genealogy  of  Abram  is  given.  It  is  not  found 
in  the  Samaritan  Pentateuch,  the  Targums,  or  the  ancient  versions. 
It  does  not  appear  in  Josephus  or  Philo.  Neither  is  it  found  in  the 
Codex  Bezae  in  the  Gospel  of  Luke.  It  must  therefore  be  regarded 
as  an  interpolation. 

The  following  table  is  a  continuation  of  that  given  at  the  fifth  chap- 
ter, and  will  serve  for  the  comparison  of  the  different  forms  in  which 
the  numbers  are  presented : 
32 


250 


THE  LINE  OF  ABRAM. 


HEBREW. 

SAM. 

PEHT. 

SEPTUAGINT. 

JOSEPHUS. 

DATE. 

Son's 
Birth. 

Own 

Death. 

Son's 
Uirth. 

Own 
Death. 

Son's 
Birth. 

Own 
Deatli. 

Son's 
Birth. 

Own 

Death. 

Of 
Birth. 

Of 

Death. 

ll.Shem  .  .  . 

(97)2 

600 

(97)2 

600 

(97)2 

600 

(97)12 

1.559 

2159 

12.  Arpakshad 

3.5 

438 

135 

438 

135 

535 

135 

1058 

2090 

(Kaivay) 

130 

460 

IS.Shclah    .  . 

30 

433 

130 

433 

130 

460 

130 

1693 

2126 

14.  Hcbcr  .  .  . 

34 

404 

134 

404 

134 

404 

134 

1723 

2187 

LO.  Pclcs   .  .  . 

30 

239 

130 

239 

130 

339 

130 

1757 

1990 

IG.Kcu   .  .  .  . 

32 

239 

132 

239 

132 

339 

130 

1787 

2026 

17.  Serii'i-  .  .  . 

30 

230 

130 

230 

130 

330 

132 

1819 

2049 

18.  N.ahor.  .  . 

29 

148 

79 

148 

175 

304 

1'20 

1849 

1997 

lO.Tcrah  .  .  . 

(70 

205 

70 

145 

70 

205 

70 

205 

1878 

2083 

(Haran) 

/60 

60 

no 

(  292 

20.  Abrain  cd. 

70 

70 

70 

{  130 

2008 

2078 

Enters  Ken. 

Sum  .... 

v,\ 

75 

75 

75 

422 

1072 

1302 

422 

D.  of  Flood 
Date  of  call 

16GG 

1307 

2262 

2256 

2078 

2379 

3564 

2678 

1 

From  this  table  it  appears  that  in  the  total  years  of  life  the  Hebrew, 
Samaritan,  and  Septuagint  agree  in  Shem ;  the  Hebrew  and  Septua- 
gint  in  Terah ;  the  Samaritan  and  Septuagint  in  lieber ;  and  the 
Hebrew  and  Samaritan  in  all  the  rest.  In  regard,  however,  to  the 
years  of  paternity,  the  Hebrew  stands  alone,  against  the  Samaritan  and 
Septuagint  agreeing,  except  in  Terah.  where  they  all  agree.  The 
difference  is  not  in  units  or  tens,  but  in  the  addition  to  the  Hebrew 
numbers  of  a  hundred  years,  except  in  the  case  of  Nahor,  where  the 
addition  is  fifty  yeai-s,  or  a  hundred  and  fifty  according  to  the  Codex 
Vaticanus  of  the  Septuagint.  Here,  again,  it  is  remarkable  that  Jose- 
phus  while  agreeing  with  the  Samaritan  and  Septuagint  in  most  of 
the  separate  numbers  before  paternity,  agrees  with  the  Hebrew  in  the 
sum  of  years  from  the  flood  to  the  70th  year  of  Terah  (292  years, 
Jos.  I.  6,  o).  In  Reu  and  Serug  the  numbers  are  transposed,  seem- 
ingly by  a  mistake  arising  from  the  inverted  order  in  which  he  gives 
the  numbers.  In  Nahor  he,  or  his  transcriber,  seems  to  have  added 
a  hundred  years  according  to  the  uniform  law,  and  neglected  the  nine. 
To  make  up  for  this  omission,  the  inexact  round  number  10  has  been 
apparently  added  to  the  number  of  years  after  the  flood,  when  Arpak- 
shad was  born.     "We  have  already  noticed  that  some  MSS.  of  Josephus 


GEN.  XI.  10-26.  251 

gave  1656  as  the  sum-total  of  years  from  the  creation  to  the  flood,  iii 
which  case  the  sums  of  Josephus  and  the  Hebrew  exactly  agree.  "We 
find  him  also  stating  (viii.  3.  1)  that  the  world  was  created  3102  years 
before  Solomon  began  to  build  the  temple,  and  that  the  deluge  took 
place  1410  before  the  same  point  of  time.  Hence  we  obtain  16G2 
years  between  the  creation  and  the  deluge  ;  and  this,  if  we  only  deduct 
from  it  the  six  years  added  to  Lamek,  agrees  with  the  Hebrew.  In 
the  same  passage  he  states  that  the  entrance  of  Abram  into  Kenaan 
was  1020  years  before  the  building  of  the  temple.  Hence  we  infer 
that  420  years  elapsed  from  the  flood  to  the  call  of  Abram,  which,  if 
we  count  from  the  birth  of  Arpakshad,  allow  sixty  years  to  elapse 
between  the  births  of  Haran  and  Abram,  and  date  the  call  of  Abram 
at  70,  win  exactly  tally  with  the  Hebrew.  These  sums  cannot  in  any 
probable  way  be  reconciled  with  the  details  in  his  own  text,  or  in  the 
Septuagint,  or  Samaritan.  Again,  Josejjhus  calculates  (x.  8.  5)  that 
the  temple  was  burnt  3513  years  from  the  creation,  and  1957  from 
the  flood.  Hence  the  interval  from  the  creation  to  the  deluge  would 
be  1556  years,  differing  from  the  Hebrew  by  100  years,  and  recon- 
cilable with  it,  if  we  suppose  the  500th  year  of  Noah  to  be  the  term- 
inating date.  He  also  concludes  that  the  burning  of  the  temple  took 
place  10G2  years  after  the  exodus,  thus  making  the  interval  from 
the  flood  to  the  exodus  895  years,  while  the  Hebrew  makes  it  852. 
If  we  reckon  the  100  years  from  the  500th  year  of  Isoah  to  the 
flood,  the  292  which  Josephus  gives  from  the  flood  to  the  birth  of 
Abraham,  the  75  years  to  the  call  of  Abraham,  and  the  430  from  that 
to  the  exodus,  we  have  897  years,  which  will  be  reduced  to  Josephus's 
number  by  omitting  the  2  years  from  the  flood  to  the  birth  of  Ai-pak- 
shad ;  and  to  the  Hebrew  number  by  omitting  the  100  years  before 
the  flood,  adding  the  60  between  Haran  and  Abram,  which  Josephus 
here  neglects,  and  dating  the  call  of  Abram  at  70  years.  But  by  no 
process  that  we  are  aware  of  can  these  calculated  numbers  of  Josephus 
be  reconciled  with  the  details  of  his  own  text,  or  the  Samaritan,  or 
Septuagint.  It  seems  perfectly  clear  that  the  Hebrew  numbers  lie  at 
the  basis  of  these  calculations  of  our  author. 

The  age  of  paternity  in  the  Samaritan  from  Peleg  down  is  beyond 
the  middle  age  of  life,  which  is  contrary  to  all  experience.  The  editor 
of  the  Septuagint  seems  to  have  observed  this  anomaly,  and  added 
100  years  to  thi-ee  of  these  lives,  and  156  to  that  of  Nahor,  against  the 
joint  testimony  of  the  Hebrew  and  Samaritan.  If  the  year  of  paternity 
in  the  Vatican  be  the  correct  reading,  a  much  greater  number  should 


252  THE  LINE  OF  ABRAM. 

have  been  here  added.  The  Samaritan  deducts  60  years  from  the 
age  of  Terah,  against  the  joint  testimony  of  the  Hebrew,  Samaritan, 
and  Josephus,  seemingly  because  the  editor  conceived  that  Abram 
was  born  in  his  seventieth  year. 

From  the  Targum  of  Onkelos  and  the  Peshito  it  is  evident  that  the 
Hebrew  text  was  the  same  as  now  up  to  the  Christian  era.  Before 
that  time  there  was  no  conceivable  reason  for  shortening  the  chronol- 
ogy, while  national  vanity  and  emulation  might  easily  prompt  men  to 
lengthen  it.  It  is  acknowledged  that  the  text  of  the  Septuagint  is 
inferior  to  that  of  the  Hebrew. 

The  age  of  puberty  in  the  Hebrew  affords  more  scope  for  the  in- 
crease of  population  than  that  in  the  other  texts.  For  if  a  man  begin 
to  have  a  family  at  thirty,  it  is  likely  to  be  larger  than  if  he  began  a 
hundred  years  later  and  only  lived  the  same  number  of  years  alto- 
gether. Now  the  Hebrew  and  Samaritan  agree  generally,  against  the 
Septuagint,  in  the  total  years  of  life  ;  and  in  two  instances,  Heber  and 
Terah,  the  Samaritan  has  even  a  less  number  than  the  Hebrew.  It 
is  to  be  remembered,  ak'o,  that  the  number  of  generations  is  the  same 
in  every  case.  Hence  in  all  human  probability  the  Hebrew  age  of 
paternity  will  give  the  greater  number  of  inhabitants  to  the  world  in 
the  age  of  Abram.  If  we  take  the  moderate  average  of  five  pairs  for 
each  family,  we  shall  have  for  the  estimated  population  4X5^  pairs, 
or  15,G25,000  souls.  This  number  is  amply  sufficient  for  all  the  king- 
doms that  were  in  existence  in  the  time  of  Abram.  If  we  defer  the 
tune  of  becoming  a  fither  for  a  whole  century,  we  shall  certainly 
diminish,  rather  than  increase,  the  chance  of  his  having  so  large  a 
family,  and  (hereby  the  probability  of  such  a  population  on  the  earth 
in  the  tenth  generation  from  Noah. 

In  these  circumstances  vre  are  disposed  to  abide  by  the  Hebrew 
text,  that  has  descended  to  us  in  an  original  form,  at  least  until  we  see 
some  more  cogent  reasons  for  abandoning  any  of  its  numbers  than 
chronologers  have  yet  been  able  to  produce.  And  we  content  our- 
selves, meanwhile,  with  the  fact  that  the  same  system  of  numbers 
manifestly  lay  at  the  basis  of  all  our  present  texts,  though  it  may  be 
difficult  in  some  cases  to  determine  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  what  was 
the  original  figure.  Tlie  determination  of  the  chronology  of  ancient 
history  is  neither  a  question  of  vital  importance,  nor,  to  us  now,  a  part 
of  the  primary  or  direct  design  of  the  Hebrew  records. 


SECTION  X.  — ABRAHAM. 


XXXVI.    FATHER  OF  ABRAM.  —  Gen.  xi.  27-32. 

27.  ai^  Lot,  veil ;  v.  cover. 

28.  "i!ix  Ur,  light,  flame,  ni'nbs  Kasdim,  Cardi,  Kurds,  XaASaioi. 
•i&S  gain  ?  Arab.  Ur  Kasdim  has  been  identified  with  Hur,  now 
called  Mugheir  (the  bitumened),  a  heap  of  ruins  lying  south  of  the 
Euphrates,  nearly  opposite  its  junction  with  the  Shat  el-Hie.  Others 
place  it  at  Edessa,  now  Orfa,  a  short  way  north  of  Carrhae. 

29.  I'lb  Sarai,  strife  ;  mb  strive,  rule,  rsb-a  Milkah,  counsel,  queen  ; 
V.  counsel,  reign,     nspi  Jiskali,  one  who  spies,  looks  out. 

31.  ',nn  Charan,  bur7it  place.  Xappdv,  Kdppai,  a  town  on  the  Biliehus 
(Bililk),  a  tributary  of  the  Frat,  still  called  Harran.  This  has  been 
identified  by  some  with  Harae,  on  the  other  side  of  the  Frat,  not  far 
from  Tadmor  or  Palmyra. 

27.  And  these  are  the  generations  of  Terah  :  Terali  begat 
Abram,  Nahor,  and  Haran  ;  and  Haran  begat  Lot.  28.  And 
Haran  died  before  Terah  his  father,  in  the  land  of  his  birth, 
in  Ur  of  the  Kasdim.  29.  And  Abram  and  Nahor  took  them 
wives  ;  the  name  of  Abram' s  wife  was  Sarai ;  and  the  name 
of  Nahor's  wife  Milkah,  the  daughter  of  Haran,  the  father  of 
Milkah  and  the  father  of  Iskah.  £0.  And  Sarai  was  barren  ; 
she  had  no  child.  31.  And  Terah  took  Abram  his  son,  and 
Lot  the  son  of  Haran  his  son's  son,  and  Sarai  his  daughter-in- 
law,  wife  of  Abram  his  son  ;  and  they  went  forth  v/ith  them 
from  Ur  of  the  Kasdim,  to  go  into  the  land  of  Kenaan  ;  and 
they  went  into  Haran,  and  dwelt  there.  o2.  And  the  days  of 
Terah  were  five  and  two  hundred  years ;  and  Terah  died  in 
Haran.  3  HITir  16 


2o4  FATHER  OF  ABRAM. 

27-32.  This  passage  forms  the  commencement  of  the  sixth  docu- 
ment, as  is  indicated  by  the  customary  phrase,  These  are  the  gener- 
ations. The  sense  also  clearly  accords  with  this  distinction;  and  it 
accounts  for  the  repetition  of  the  statement,  "  Terah  begat  Abram, 
Nahor,  and  Ilaran."  Yet  the  scribe  who  finally  arranged  the  text 
makes  no  account  of  this  division ;  as  he  inserts  neither  a  S  nor  even 
a  D  at  its  commencement,  while  he  places  the  threefold  S,  marking 
the  end  of  a  Sabbath  lesson,  at  its  close.  We  learn  from  this  that  the 
Jewish  rabbis  did  not  regard  the  opening  phrase  as  a  decided  mark 
of  a  new  beginning,  or  any  indication  of  a  new  author.  Nevertheless, 
this  passage  and  the  preceding  one  form  the  meet  prelude  to  the  history 
of  Abram,  —  the  one  tracing  his  genealogy  from  Shem  and  Ilcber,  and 
the  other  detailing  his  relations  with  the  family  out  of  which  he  was 
called. 

God  has  not  forsaken  the  fallen  race.  On  the  contrary,  he  has 
once  and  again  held  out  to  them  a  general  invitation  to  return,  with  a 
promise  of  pardon  and  acceptance.  Many  of  the  descendants  of  Noah 
have  already  forsaken  him,  and  he  foresees  that  all,  if  left  to  themselves, 
will  sink  into  ungodliness.  Notwithstanding  all  this,  he  calmly  and 
resolutely  proceeds  with  his  purpose  of  mercy.  In  the  accomplishment 
of  this  eternal  purpose  he  moves  with  all  the  solemn  grandeur  of  long- 
sufiering  patience.  One  day  is  with  him  as  a  thousand  years,  and  a 
thousand  years  as  one  day.  Out  of  Adam's  three  sons  he  selects  one 
to  be  the  progenitor  of  the  seed  of  the  woman ;  out  of  Noah's  three 
sons  he  again  selects  one ;  and  now  out  of  Terah's  three  is  one  to  be 
selected.  Among  the  children  of  this  one  he  will  choose  a  second  one, 
and  among  his  a  third  one  before  he  reaches  the  holy  family.  Doubt- 
less this  gradual  mode  of  proceeding  is  in  keeping  with  the  hereditary 
training  of  the  holy  nation,  and  the  due  adjustment  of  all  the  divine 
measures  for  at  length  bringing  the  fulness  of  the  Gentiles  into  the 
covenant  of  everlasting  peace. 

The  history  here  given  of  the  postdiluvians  has  a  striking  resem- 
blance in  structure  to  that  of  the  antediluvians.  The  jDreservation  of 
Noah  from  tlie  wat(>r3  of  the  flood,  is  the  counterpart  of  the  creation 
of  Adam  after  the  land  had  risen  out  of  the  roaring  deep.  The  intox- 
ication of  Noah  by  the  fruit  of  a  tree  corresponds  with  the  fall  of  Adam 
by  eating  the  fruit  of  a  forbidden  tree.  The  worldly  policy  of  Nimrod 
and  his  builders  is  parallel  vv'ith  the  city-building  and  many  inventions 
of  the  Cainites.  The  pedigree  of  Abram  the  tenth  from  Shem,  stands 
over  against  the  pedigree    of  Noah  the  tenth  from  Adam ;  and  the 


GEN.  XI.  27-32.  255 

paragrapli  now  before  us  bears  some  resemblance  to  that  wbicli  pre- 
cedes the  personal  history  of  Noah.  All  this  tends  to  strengthen  the 
impression  made  by  some  other  phenomena,  already  noticed,  that  the 
book  of  Genesis  is  the  work  of  one  author,  and  not  a  mere  file  of 
documents  by  different  writers. 

The  present  paragraph  is  of  special  interest  for  the  coming  history. 
Its  opening  word  and  intimates  its  close  connection  with  the  preceding 
document ;  and  accordingly  we  observe  that  the  one  is  merely  intro- 
ductory to  the  other.  The  various  characters  brought  forwai-d  are  all 
of  moment.  Terah  is  the  patriarch  and  leader  of  the  migration  for 
part  of  the  way.  Abram  is  the  subject  of  the  following  narrative. 
Nahor  is  the  grandfather  of  Eebekah.  Haran  is  the  father  of  Lot  the 
companion  of  Abram,  of  Milcah  the  wife  of  Nahor  and  grandmother 
of  Eebekah,  and  of  Iskah.  Iskah  alone  seems  to  have  no  connection 
with  the  subsequent  narrative.  Josephus  says  Sarai  and  Milkali 
were  the  daughters  of  Haran,  taking  no  notice  of  Iskah.  He  seems, 
therefore,  to  identify  Sarai  and  Iskah.  Jerome,  after  his  Jewish 
teachers,  does  the  same.  Abram  says  of  Sarai,  "  She  is  the  daughter 
of  my  father,  but  not  the  daughter  of  my  mother  "  (Gen.  xx.  12).  In 
Hebrew  phrase  the  granddaughter  is  termed  a  daughter ;  and  therefore 
this  statement  might  be  satisfied  by  her  being  the  daughter  of  Haran. 
Lot  is  called  the  brother's  son  and  the  brother  of  Abram  ( Gen.  xiv. 
12,  IG).  If  Sarai  be  Haran's  daughter,  Lot  is  Abram's  brother-in-law. 
This  identification  would  also  explain  the  introduction  of  Iskah  into 
the  present  passage.  Still  it  must  be  admitted,  on  the  other  hand,  that 
persons  are  sometimes  incidentally  introduced  in  a  history  of  facts, 
without  any  express  connection  with  the  course  of  the  narrative,  as 
Ivaamah  in  the  history  of  the  Caiiiites.  The  studied  silence  of  the 
sacred  writer  in  regard  to  the  parentage  of  Sarai,  in  the  present  con- 
nection, tells  rather  in  favor  of  her  being  the  actual  daughter  of  Terah 
by  another  wife,  and  so  strictly  the  half-sister  of  Abram.  For  the 
Mosaic  law  afterwards  expressly  prohibited  marriage  with  "  the  daugh- 
ter of  a  father  "  (Lev.  xviii.  9).  And,  lastly,  the  text  does  not  state  of 
Iskah,  "  This  is  Sarai,"  which  would  accord  with  the  manner  of  the 
sacred  writer,  and  is  actually  done  in  the  Targum  of  Pseudo-Jonathan. 
is.  And  Haran  died  in  the  presence  of  his  father  Terah.  There  is 
reason  to  believe  that  Haran  was  the  eldest  son  of  Terah.  Though 
mentioned  in  the  third  place,  like  Japheth  the  eldest  son  of  Noah,  yet, 
like  Japheth,  also,  his  descendants  ai-e  recounted  first.  He  is  the 
father  of  Lot,  Milkah,  and  Iskah.     His  brother  Nahor    marries  his 


256  FATHER  OF  ABEAM. 

daughter  Milkah.  If  Iskali  be  the  same  as  Sarai,  Haran  her  father 
must  have  been  some  years  older  than  Abram,  as  Abram  was  only  ten 
years  older  than  Sarai ;  and  hence  her  father,  if  younger  than  Abram, 
must  have  been  only  eight  or  nine  when  she  was  born,  which  is  im- 
possible. Hence,  those  who  take  Iskah  to  be  Sarai,  must  regard 
Abram  as  younger  than  Haran. 

In  the  land  of  his  birth.  The  migration  of  Terah,  therefore,  did  not 
take  place  till  after  the  death  of  Haran.  At  all  events,  liis  three 
grandchildren,  Lot,  Milkah,  and  Iskah,  were  born  before  he  commenced 
his  journey.  Still  further,  Milkah  was  married  to  Nahor  for  some 
time  before  that  event.  Hence,  allowing  thirty  years  for  a  generation, 
we  have  a  period  of  sixty  years  and  upwards  from  the  birth  of  Haran 
to  the  marriage  of  his  daughter.  But  if  we  take  seventy  years  for  a 
generation,  which  is  far  below  the  average  of  the  Samaritan  or  the 
Septuagint,  we  have  one  hundred  and  forty  years,  which  will  carry  us 
beyond  the  death  of  Terah,  whether  we  reckon  his  age  at  one  hundred 
and  forty-five  with  the  Samaritan,  or  at  two  hundred  and  five  with  the 
other  texts.  This  gives  another  presumption  in  favor  of  the  Hebrew 
average  for  a  generation. 

In  Ur  of  the  Kasdim.  The  Kasdim,  Cardi,  Kurds,  or  Chaldees  are 
not  to  be  found  in  the  table  of  nations.  They  have  been  generally 
supposed  to  be  Shemites.  This  is  favored  by  the  residence  of  Abram 
among  them,  by  the  name  Kesed,  being  a  family  name  among  his 
kindred  (Gen.  xxii.  22),  and  by  the  language  commonly  called 
Chaldee,  which  is  a  species  of  Aramaic.  But  among  the  settlers  of 
the  country,  the  descendants  of  Ham  probably  prevailed  in  early  times. 
Nimrod,  the  founder  of  the  Babylonian  Empire,  was  a  Kushite.  The 
ancient  Babylonish  language,  Rawlinson  (Chaldaea)  finds  to  be  a 
peculiar  dialect,  having  affinities  with  the  Shemitic,  Arian,  Turanian, 
and  Hamitic  tongues.  The  Chaldees  were  spread  over  a  gi'eat  extent 
of  surface  ;  but  their  most  celebrated  seat  was  Chaldaea  proper,  or  the 
land  of  Shinar.  The  inhabitants  of  this  country  seem  to  have  been  of 
raixcd  descent,  being  bound  together  by  political  rather  than  fiimily 
ties.  Nimrod,  their  centre  of  union,  was  a  despot  rather  than  a  patri- 
arch. The  tongue  of  the  Kaldecs,  whether  pure  or  mixed,  and 
whether  Shemitic  or  not,  is  possibly  distinct  from  the  Aramaic,  in 
which  they  addressed  Nebuchadnezzar  in  the  time  of  Daniel  (i.  4,  ii. 
4).  The  Kaldin  at  length  lost  their  nationality,  and  merged  into  the 
caste  or  class  of  learned  men  or  astrologers,  into  which  a  man  might 
be  admitted,  not  merely  by  being  a  Kaklai  by  birth,  but  by  acquiring 


GEN.  XI.  27-32.  257 

the  language  and  learning  of  the  Kasdim  (Daniel  i.  4,  v.  11).  The 
seats  of  Chaldee  learning  were  Borsippa  (Birs  Nimrud),  Ur,  Babylon, 
and  Sepharvaim  (Sippara,  Mosaib).  Ur  or  Hur  has  been  found  by 
antiquarian  research  (see  Rawlinson's  Ancient  Monarchies)  in  the 
heap  of  ruins  called  Mugheir,  "  the  bitumened."  This  site  lies  now 
on  the  right  side  of  the  Frat ;  but  the  territory  to  which  it  belongs  is 
mainly  on  the  left.  And  Abram  coming  from  it  would  naturally  cross 
into  Mesopotamia  on  his  way  to  Haran.  Orfa,  the  other  supposed 
site  of  Ur,  seems  to  be  too  near  Haran.  It  is  not  above  twenty  or 
twenty-five  miles  distant,  which  would  not  be  more  than  one  day's 
journey. 

29,  30.  But  Sarai  was  harren.  From  this  statement  it  is  evident 
that  Abram  had  been  married  for  some  time  before  the  migration  took 
place.  It  is  also  probable  that  Milkah  had  begun  to  have  a  family  ; 
a  cii-cumstance  which  would  render  the  barrenness  of  Sarai  the  more 
remarkable. 

31,  32.  And  Terah  took  Abram.  Terah  takes  the  lead  in  this  emi- 
gration, as  the  patriarch  of  the  family.  In  the  Samaritan  Pentateuch 
Milkah  is  mentioned  among  the  emigrants  ;  and  it  is  not  improbable 
that  Nahor  and  his  family  accompanied  Terah,  as  we  find  them  after- 
wards at  Haran,  or  the  city  of  Nahor  (Gen.  xxiv.  10).  And  they  went 
forth  with  them.  Terah  and  Abram  went  forth  with  Lot  and  the  other 
companions  of  their  journey.  To  go  into  the  land  of  Kenaan.  It  was 
the  design  of  Terah  himself  to  settle  in  the  land  of  Kenaan.  The 
boundaries  of  this  land  are  given  in  the  table  of  nations  (Gen.  x.  19). 
The  Kenaanites  were  therefore  in  possession  of  it  when  the  table  of 
nations  was  drawn  up.  It  is  certain,  however,  that  there  were  other 
inhabitants,  some  of  them  Shemites  probably,  anterior  to  Kenaan,  and 
subjected  by  his  invading  race.  The  prime  motive  to  this  change  of 
abode  was  the  call  to  Abram  recorded  in  the  next  chapter.  Moved 
by  the  call  of  God,  Abram  "  obeyed ;  and  he  went  out  not  knowing 
whither  he  went"  (Heb.  xi.  8).  But  Terah  was  influenced  by  other 
motives  to  put  himself  at  the  head  of  this  movement.  The  death  of 
Haran,  his  eldest  son,  looseijed  his  attachment  to  the  land  of  his  birth. 
Besides,  Abram  and  Sarai  were  no  doubt  peculiarly  dear  to  him,  and 
he  did  not  wish  to  lose  their  society.  The  inhabitants  also  of  Ur  had 
fallen  into  polytheism,  or,  if  we  may  so  speak,  allotheism,  the  worship 
of  other  gods.  Terah  had  himself  been  betrayed  into  compliance  with 
this  form  of  impiety.  It  is  probable  that  the  revelation  Abram  had 
received  from  heaven  was  the  means  of  removing  this  cloud  from  his 
33 


258  FATHER  OF  ABRAM. 

mind,  and  restoring  in  him  the  knowledge  and  worship  of  the  true 
God.  Hence  his  desire  to  keep  up  his  connection  with  Abram,  who 
was  called  of  God.  Prayerful  intercourse  with  the  true  and  living 
God,  also,  while  it  was  fast  waning  in  the  land  of  the  Kasdim,  seems 
to  have  been  still  maintained  in  its  ancient  purity  in  some  parts  of  the 
land  of  Kenaan  and  the  adjacent  countries.  In  the  land  of  Uz,  a 
Shemite,  perhaps  even  at  a  later  period,  lived  Job  ;  and  in  the  neigh- 
boring districts  of  Arabia  were  his  several  friends,  all  of  whom  ac- 
knowledged the  true  God.  And  in  the  land  of  Kenaan  was  Melkizedec, 
the  king  of  Salem,  and  the  priest  of  the  ]?,Iost  High  God.  A  priest 
implies  a  considerable  body  of  true  worshippers  scattered  over  the 
country.  Accordingly,  the  name  of  the  true  God  was  known  and 
revered,  at  least  in  outward  form,  wherever  Abram  went,  throughout 
the  land.  The  report  of  this  comparatively  favorable  state  of  things 
in  the  land  of  Kenaan  would  be  an  additional  incentive  to  the  newly 
enlightened  family  of  Tcrah  to  accompany  Abram  in  obedience  to  the 
divine  call. 

Terah  set  out  on  his  journey,  no  doubt,  as  soon  after  the  call  of 
Abram  as  the  preparatory  arrangements  could  be  made.  Now  the 
promise  to  Abram  was  four  hundred  and  thirty  years  before  the  exodus 
of  the  children  of  Israel  out  of  Egypt  (Ex.  xii.  40).  Of  this  long 
period  his  seed  was  to  be  a  stranger  in  a  land  that  was  not  theirs  for 
four  hundred  years  (Gen.  xv.  13).  Hence  it  follows  that  Isaac,  his 
seed,  Avas  born  thirty  years  after  the  call  of  Abram.  Now  Abram  was 
one  hundred  years  old  when  Isaac  was  born,  and  consequently  the  call 
was  given  when  he  was  seventy  years  of  age,  —  about  five  years  before 
he  entered  the  land  of  Kenaan  (Gen.  xii.  4).  This  whole  calculation 
exactly  agrees  with  the  incidental  statement  of  Paul  to  the  Galatians 
(Gal.  iii.  17)  that  the  law  was  four  hundred  and  thirty  years  after  the 
covenant  of  promise.  Terah  was  accordingly  two  hundred  years  old 
when  he  undertook  the  long  journey  to  the  land  of  Kenaan ;  for  he 
died  at  two  hundred  and  five,  when  Abram  was  seventy-five.  Though 
proceeding  by  easy  stages,  the  aged  patriarch  seems  to  have  been 
exhausted  by  the  length  and  the  difficulty  of  the  way.  They  came  to 
Haran  and  dwell  there.  Broken  down  with  fatigue,  he  halts  for  a 
season  at  Haran  to  recruit  his  wasted  powers.  Filial  piety,  no  doubt, 
kept  Abram  watching  over  the  last  days  of  his  venerable  parents,  who 
probably  still  cling  to  the  fond  hope  of  reaching  the  land  of  his  adop- 
tion. Hence  they  all  abode  in  Haran  for  the  remainder  of  the  five 
years  from  the  date  of  Abram's  call  to  leave  his  native  land.     And 


GEN.  XI.  27-32.  259 

Terah  died  in  Haran.  This  intimates  that  he  would  have  proceeded 
with  the  others  to  the  land  of  Kenaan  if  his  life  had  been  prolonged, 
and  likewise  that  they  did  not  leave  Haran  until  his  death. 

"We  have  already  seen  that  Abram  was  seventy-five  years  of  age  at 
the  death  of  Terah.  It  follows  that  he  was  born  when  Terah  was 
one  hundred  and  thirty  years  old,  and  consequently  sixty  years  after 
Haran.  This  is  the  reason  why  we  have  placed  one  hundred  and 
thirty  (seventy  and  sixty),  in  the  genealogical  table  opposite  Terah, 
because  the  line  of  descent  is  not  traced  through  Haran,  who  was  born 
when  he  was  seventy,  but  through  Abram,  who  by  plain  inference  was 
born  when  he  was  one  hundred  and  thirty  years  old.  It  will  be  ob- 
served, also,  that  we  have  set  down  seventy  opposite  Abram  as  the  date 
of  his  call,  from  which  is  counted  the  definite  period  of  four  hundred 
and  thirty  years  to  the  exodus.  And  as  all  our  texts  agree  in  the 
numbers  here  involved,  it  is  obvious  that  the  same  adjustment  of  years 
has  in  this  case  to  be  made,  whatever  system  of  chronology  is  adopted. 
Hence  Abram  is  placed  first  in  the  list  of  Terah's  sons,  simply  on 
account  of  his  personal  preeminence  as  the  father  of  the  faithful  and 
the  ancestor  of  the  promised  seed  ;  he  and  his  brother  Nahor  are  both 
much  younger  than  Haran,  are  married  only  after  his  death,  and  one 
of  them  to  his  grown-up  daughter  Milkah ;  and  he  and  his  nephew 
Lot  are  meet  companions  in  age  as  well  as  in  spirit.  Hence  also 
Abram  lingers  in  Haran,  waiting  to  take  his  father  with  him  to  the 
land  of  promise,  if  he  should  revive  so  far  as  to  be  fit  for  the  journey. 
But  it  was  not  the  lot  of  Terah  to  enter  the  land,  where  he  would  only 
have  been  a  stranger.  He  is  removed  to  the  better  country,  and  by 
his  departure  contributes  no  doubt  to  deepen  the  faith  of  his  son  Abram, 
of  his  grandson  Lot,  and  of  his  daughter-in-law  Sarai.  This  explana- 
tion of  the  order  of  events  is  confirmed  by  the  statement  of  Stephen  : 
"  The  God  of  glory  appeared  unto  our  father  Abraham  when  he  was 
in  Mesopotamia,  hefore  he  dwelt  in  Charran.  Then  came  he  out  of 
the  land  of  the  Chaldeans  and  dwelt  in  Charran  ;  and  from  thence, 
when  his  father  was  dead,  he  removed  him  into  this  land,  wherein  ye 
now  dwell  "  (Acts  vii.  2-4). 


260  THE  CALL  OF  ABEAM. 


XXXVir.    THE  CALL  OF  ABEAM.  —  Gen.  xii.  1-9. 

6.  tDSd  Sliekem,  the  ujoperpart  of  the  hack.  Here  it  is  tlie  name  of 
a  person,  the  owner  of  this  place,  where  afterwards  is  built  the  town 
called  at  first  Shekem,  then  Flavia  Neapolis,  and  now  Nablous.  "jibx 
the  oah  ;  r.  he  lasting,  strong.  tT^.ia  In  Onk.  plain  ;  Moreh,  archer, 
early  rain,  teacher.  Here  the  name  of  a  man  who  owned  the  oak  that 
marked  the  spot.     In  the  Septuagint  it  is  rendered  vij/rjyrju. 

8.  ^>|"n'i3  Bethel,  house  of  God.  d;^  sea,  great  river,  west.  "^^  Ai, 
heap. 

9.  3S3  south. 

XII.  1.  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Abram,  Get  thee  out  of 
thy  land,  and  from  thy  kindred,  and  from  thy  father's  house, 
unto  the  land  that  I  will  show  thee.  2,  And  I  will  make  of 
thee  a  great  nation,  and  bless  thee,  and  make  thy  name  great ; 
and  thou  shalt  be  a  blessing.  3.  And  I  will  bless  them  that 
bless  thee,  and  curse  him  that  curseth  thee ;  and  blessed  in 
thee  shall  be  all  the  families  of  the  ground.  4.  And  Abram 
went  as  the  Lord  had  spoken  to  him,  and  with  him  went  Lot ; 
and  Abram  was  the  son  of  five  and  seventy  years  wlien  he 
came  out  of  Haran,  5.  And  Abram  took  Sarai  his  wife,  and 
Lot  his  brother's  son,  and  all  tlieir  gaining  that  they  had 
gained,  and  the  souls  that  they  had  gotten  in  Haran ;  and 
they  came  forth  to  go  into  the  land  of  Kenaan,  and  they  went 
into  the  land  of  Kenaan.  G.  And  Abram  passed  through  the 
land  into  the  place  of  Shekem,  unto  the  oak  of  Moreh ;  and 
the  Kcnaanite  was  then  in  the  land.  7.  And  the  Lord  ap- 
peared unto  Abram,  and  said,  Unto  thy  seed  will  I  give  this 
land.  And  ho  buildcd  there  an  altar  unto  the  Lord,  who 
appeared  unto  him.  8.  And  he  removed  thence  to  the  moun- 
tain on  the  east  of  Bethel,  and  pitched  his  tent,  having  Bethel 
on  the  west  and  Ai  on  the  east ;  and  he  buildcd  there  an  altar 
to  the  Lord,  and  called  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord.  9.  And 
Abram  journeyed,  going  on  still  towards  the  south.      ^  17. 


GEN.  XII.  1-9.  261 

The  narrative  now  takes  leave  of  the  rest  of  the  Shemites,  as  well 
as  the  other  branches  of  the  human  family,  and  confines  itself  to  Abram. 
It  is  no  part  of  the  design  of  Scripture  to  trace  the  development  of 
worldliness.  It  marks  its  source,  and  indicates  the  law  of  its  downward 
tendency ;  but  then  it  turns  away  from  the  dark  detail,  to  devote  its 
attention  to  the  way  by  which  light  from  heaven  may  again  pierce  the 
gloom  of  the  fallen  heart.  Here,  then,  we  have  the  starting  of  a  new 
spring  of  spiritual  life  in  the  human  race. 

1-3.  Having  brought  the  affairs  of  Terah's  family  to  a  fit  resting 
point,  the  sacred  writer  now  reverts  to  the  call  of  Abram.  This,  we 
have  seen,  took  place  when  he  was  seventy  years  of  age,  and  therefore 
five  years  before  the  death  of  Terah.  The  Lord  said  unto  Abram. 
Four  hundred  and  twenty-two  years  on  the  lowest  calculation  after  the 
last  recorded  communication  with  Noah,  the  Lord  again  opens  his 
mouth,  to  Abram.  Noah,  Shem,  or  Heber,  must  have  been  in  com- 
munication with  heaven,  indeed,  at  the  time  of  the  confusion  of  tongues, 
and  hence  we  have  an  account  of  that  miraculous  interposition.  The 
call  of  Abram  consists  of  a  command  and  a  pi'omise.  The  command 
is  to  leave  the  place  of  all  his  old  and  fond  associations,  for  a  land 
which  he  had  not  yet  seen,  and  therefore  did  not  know.  Three  ties 
are  to  be  severed  in  compljnng  with  this  command,  —  his  country,  in 
the  widest  range  of  his  affections  ;  his  j^lace  of  birth  and  kindred  comes 
closer  to  his  heart ;  his  father's  house  is  the  inmost  circle  of  all  his 
tender  emotions.  All  these  are  to  be  resigned ;  not,  however,  without 
reason.  The  reason  may  not  be  entirely  obvious  to  the  mind  of  Abram. 
But  he  has  entire  faith  in  the  reasonableness  of  what  God  proposes. 
So  with  reason  and  faith  he  is  willing  to  go  to  the  unknown  land.  It 
is  enough  that  God  will  show  him  the  land  to  which  he  is  now  sent. 

2,  3.  The  promise  corresponds  to  the  command.  If  he  is  to  lose 
much  by  his  exile,  he  will  also  gain  in  the  end.  The  promise  contains 
a  lower  and  a  higher  blessing.  The  lower  blessing  has  three  parts  : 
First,  I  will  make  of  thee  a  great  nation.  This  will  compensate  for  the 
loss  of  his  country.  The  nation  to  which  he  had  hitherto  belonged 
was  fast  sinking  into  polytheism  and  idolatry.  To  escape  from  it  and 
its  defiling  influence  was  itself  a  benefit ;  but  to  be  made  himself  the 
head  of  a  chosen  nation  was  a  double  blessing.  Secondly,  And  bless 
thee.  The  place  of  his  birth  and  kindred  was  the  scene  of  all  his  past 
earthly  joys.  But  the  Lord  will  make  up  the  loss  to  him  in  a  purer 
and  safer  scene  of  temporal  prosperity.  Thirdly,  And  make  thy  name 
great.     This  was  to  compensate  him  for  his  father's  house.     He  was 


262  THE  CALL  OF  ABEAM. 

to  be  the  patriarch  of  a  new  house,  on  account  of  which  he  would  be 
known  and  venerated  all  over  the  world. 

The  higher  blessing  is  expressed  in  these  remarkable  terms :  And 
be  thou  a  blessing.  He  is  to  be  not  merely  a  subject  of  blessing,  but  a 
medium  of  blessing  to  others.  It  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive. 
And  the  Lord  here  confers  on  Abram  the  delightful  prerogative  of 
dispensing  good  to  others.  The  next  verse  expands  this  higher  ele- 
ment of  the  divine  promise.  I  will  bless  them  that  bless  thee,  and  curse 
him  that  curseth  thee.  Here  the  Lord  identifies  the  cause  of  Abram 
with  his  own,  and  declares  him  to  be  essentially  connected  with  the 
weal  or  woe  of  all  who  come  into  contact  with  him.  And  blessed  in 
thee  shall  be  all  the  families  of  the  ground.  The  ground  was  cursed  for 
the  sake  of  Adam,  who  fell  by  transgression.  But  now  shall  the 
ground  again  participate  in  the  blessing.  In  thee.  In  Abram  is  this 
blessing  laid  up  as  a  treasure  hid  in  a  field  to  be  realized  in  due  time. 
All  the  families  of  mankind  shall  ultimately  enter  into  the  enjoyment 
of  this  unbounded  blessing.  Thus,  when  the  Lord  saw  fit  to  select  a 
man  to  preserve  vital  piety  on  the  earth  and  be  the  head  of  a  race 
fitted  to  be  the  depository  of  a  revelation  of  mercy,  he  at  the  same 
time  designed  that  this  step  should  be  the  means  of  effectually  recalling 
the  sin-enthralled  world  to  the  knowledge  and  love  of  himself  The 
race  was  twice  already  since  the  fall  put  upon  its  probation,  —  once 
under  the  promise  of  victory  to  the  seed  of  the  woman,  and  again  under 
the  covenant  with  Noah.  In  each  of  these  cases,  notwithstanding  the 
growing  light  of  revelation  and  accumulating  evidence  of  the  divine 
forbearance,  the  race  had  apostatised  from  the  God  of  mer-cy,  with 
lamentably  few  known  exceptions.  Yet,  undeterred  by  the  gathering 
tokens  of  this  second  apostasy,  and  after  reiterated  practical  demonstra- 
tion to  all  men  of  the  debasing,  demoralizing  effect  of  sin,  the  Lord, 
with  calm  determination  of  purpose,  sets  about  another  step  in  the 
great  process  of  removing  the  curse  of  sin,  dispensing  the  blessing  of 
pardon,  and  eventually  drawing  all  the  nations  to  accept  of  his  mercy. 
The  special  call  of  Abram  contemplates  the  calling  of  the  Gentiles  as 
its  final  issue,  and  is  therefore  to  be  regarded  as  one  link  in  a  series 
of  wonderful  events  by  which  the  legal  obstacles  to  the  divine  mercy 
are  to  be  taken  out  of  the  way,  and  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  :s  to  prevail 
with  still  more  and  more  of  men  to  return  to  God. 

It  is  sometimes  inadvertently  said  that  the  Old  Testament  is  narrow 
and  exclusive,  while  the  New  Testament  is  broad  and  cathohc  in  its 
spirit.     This  is  a  mistake.     Tlie  Old  and  New  Testaments  aie  of  one 


GEX.  XII.  1-9.  263 

mind  ou  tliis  matter.  Manj  are  called,  and  few  chosen.  This  is  the 
common  doctrine  of  the  New  as  well  as  of  the  Old.  They  are  both 
equally  catholic  in  proclaiming  the  gospel  to  ail.  The  covenant  with 
Adam  and  with  Noah  is  still  valid  and  sure  to  all  who  return  to  God ; 
and  the  call  of  Abram  is  expressly  said  to  be  a  means  of  extending 
blessing  to  all  the  families  of  man.  The  New  Testament  does  not  aim 
at  anything  more  than  this ;  it  merely  hails  the  approaching  accom- 
plishment of  the  same  gracious  end.  They  both  concur  also  in  limiting 
salvation  to  the  few  who  repent  and  believe  the  gospel.  Even  when 
Abram  was  called  there  were  a  few  who  still  trusted  in  the  God  of 
mercy.  According  to  the  chronology  of  the  Masoretic  text,  Heber  was 
still  alive,  Melkizedec  was  contemporary  with  Abram,  Job  was  probably 
later,  and  many  other  now  unknown  witnesses  for  God  were  doubtless 
to  be  found,  down  to  the  time  of  the  exodus,  outside  the  chosen  family. 
God  marks  the  first  symptoms  of  decaying  piety.  He  does  not  wait 
till  it  has  died  out  before  he  calls  Abram.  He  proceeds  in  a  leisurely, 
deliberate  manner  with  his  eternal  purpose  of  mercy,  and  hence  a 
single  heir  of  promise  suffices  for  three  generations,  until  the  set  time 
comes  for  the  chosen  family  and  the  chosen  nation.  Universalism, 
then,  in  the  sense  of  the  offer  of  mercy  to  man,  is  the  rule  of  the  Old 
and  the  New  Testament.  Particularism  in  the  acceptance  of  it  is  the 
accident  of  the  time.  The  call  of  Abram  is  a  special  expedient  for 
providing  a  salvation  that  may  be  offered  to  all  the  families  of  the 
earth. 

In  all  God's  teachings  the  near  and  the  sensible  come  before  the 
far  and  the  conceivable,  the  present  and  the  earthly  before  the  eternal 
and  the  heavenly.  Thus  Abram's  immediate  acts  of  self-denial  are 
leaving  his  country,  his  birthplace,  his  home.  The  promise  to  him  is 
to  be  made  a  great  nation,  be  blessed,  and  have  a  great  name  in  the  new 
land  which  the  Lord  w^ould  show  him.  This  is  unspeakably  enhanced 
by  his  being  made  a  blessing  to  all  nations.  God  pursues  this  mode 
of  teaching  for  several  important  reasons.  First,  the  sensible  and  the 
present  are  intelligible  to  those  who  are  taught.  The  Great  Teacher 
begins  with  the  known,  and  leads  the  mind  forward  to  the  unknown.  If 
he  had  begun  with  things  too  high,  too  deep,  or  too  far  for  the  range  of 
Abram's  mental  vision,  he  would  not  have  come  into  relation  with 
Abram's  mind.  It  is  superfluous  to  say  that  he  might  have  enlarged 
Abram's  view  in  proportion  to  the  grandeur  of  the  conceptions  to  be 
revealed.  On  the  same  principle  he  might  have  made  Abram  cogni- 
zant of  all  present  and  all  developed  truih.     On  the  same  principle  he 


264  THE  CALL  OF  ABRAM. 

might  have  developed  all  things  in  an  instant  of  time,  and  so  have  had 
done  with  creation  and  providence  at  once.  Secondly,  the  present  and 
the  sensible  are  the  types  of  the  future  and  the  conceivable  ;  the  land 
is  the  type  of  the  better  land  ;  the  nation  of  the  spiritual  nation ;  the 
temporal  blessing  of  the  eternal  blessing ;  the  earthly  greatness  of  the 
name  of  the  heavenly.  And  let  us  not  suppose  that  we  are  arrived  at 
the  end  of  all  knowledge.  "We  pique  ourselves  on  our  advance  in 
spiritual  knowledge  beyond  the  age  of  Abram.  But  even  we  may  be 
in  the  very  infancy  of  mental  development.  There  may  be  a  land,  a 
nation,  a  blessing,  a  great  name,  of  which  our  present  realizations  or 
conceptions  are  but  the  types.  Any  other  supposition  would  be  a  large 
abatement  from  the  sweetness  of  hope's  overflowing  cup.  Thirdly, 
these  things  which  God  now  promises  are  the  immediate  form  of  his 
bounty,  the  very  gifts  he  begins  at  the  moment  to  bestow.  God  has 
his  gift  to  Abram  ready  in  his  hand  in  a  tangible  form.  He  points  to 
it  and  says,  This  is  Avhat  thou  presently  needest ;  this  I  give  thee,  with 
my  blessing  and  favor.  But,  fourthly,  these  are  the  earnest  and  the 
germ  of  all  temporal  and  eternal  blessing.  Man  is  a  growing  thing, 
whether  as  an  individual  or  a  race.  God  graduates  his  benefits 
according  to  the  condition  and  capacity  of  the  recipients.  In  the  first 
boon  of  his  good-will  is  the  earnest  of  what  he  will  continue  to  bestow 
on  those  who  continue  to  walk  in  his  ways.  And  as  the  present  is 
the  womb  of  the  future,  so  is  the  external  the  symbol  of  the  internal, 
the  material  the  shadow  of  the  spiritual,  in  the  order  of  the  divine 
blessing.  And  as  events  unfold  themselves  in  the  history  of  man  and 
conceptions  in  his  soul  within,  so  are  doctrines  gradually  opened  up  in 
the  Word  of  God,  and  progi-essively  revealed  to  the  soul  by  the  Spirit 
of  God. 

4,  5.  Abram  obeys  the  call.  He  had  set  out  from  Ur  under  the 
revered  guardianship  of  his  aged  father,  Terah,  with  other  companions, 
as  the  Lord  had  spoken  unto  him.  Lot  is  now  mentioned  as  his  com- 
panion. Terah's  death  has  been  already  recorded.  Sarai  is  with  him, 
of  course,  and  therefore  it  is  unnecessary  to  repeat  the  fact.  But  Lot 
is  associated  with  him  as  an  incidental  companion  for  some  time  longer. 
The  age  of  Abram  at  the  second  stage  of  his  journey  is  now  mentioned. 
This  enables  us  to  determine,  as  we  have  seen,  that  he  departed  from 
Ur  five  years  before. 

5.  This  is  the  record  of  what  is  presumed  in  the  close  of  the  previous 
verse  ;  namely,  the  second  setting  out  for  Kenaan.  Abram  tooh.  He 
is  now  the  leader  of  the  little  colony,  as  Terah  was  before  his  death. 


GEN.  XII.  1-9.  2G5 

Sarai,  as  well  as  Lot,  is  now  named.  The  gaining  they  had  gained 
during  the  live  years  of  their  residence  in  Haran.  If  Jacob  became 
comparatively  rich  in  six  years  (Gen.  xxx.  43),  so  might  Abram,  with 
the  divine  blessing,  in  five.  The  souls  they  had  gotten,  —  the  bondser- 
vants they  had  acquired.  Where  there  is  a  large  stock  of  cattle,  thei-e 
must  be  a  corresponding  number  of  servants  to  attend  to  them.  Abram 
and  Lot  enter  the  land  as  men  of  substance.  They  are  in  a  position 
of  independence.  The  Lord  is  realizing  to  Abram  the  blessing  prom- 
ised. They  start  for  the  land  of  Kenaan,  and  at  length  arrive  there. 
This  event  is  made  as  important  as  it  ought  to  be  in  our  minds  by  the 
mode  in  which  it  is  stated. 

6-9.  Abram  does  not  enter  into  immediate  possession,  but  only 
travels  through  the  land  which  the  Lord  had  promised  to  show  him  (v. 
1).  He  arrives  at  the  place  of  Shehem.  The  town  was  probably  not 
yet  in  existence.  It  lay  between  Mount  Gerizzim  and  Mount  Ebal. 
It  possesses  a  special  interest  as  the  spot  where  the  Lord  first  appeared 
to  Abram  in  the  land  of  promise.  It  was  afterwards  dedicated  to  the 
Lord  by  being  made  a  Levitical  town,  and  a  city  of  refuge.  At  this 
place  Joshua  convened  an  assembly  of  all  Israel  to  hear  his  farewell 
address.  "  So  Joshua  made  a  covenant  Avith  the  people  that  day,  and 
set  them  a  statute  and  an  ordinance  in  Shekem"  (Jos.  xxiv.  1-25). 
The  particular  point  in  the  place  of  Shekem  where  Abram  halted  is 
the  oak  of  Moreh  ;  so  called,  probably,  from  its  planter  or  owner.  The 
oak  attains  to  great  antiquity,  and  a  single  tree,  well  grown,  becomes 
conspicuous  for  its  grandeur  and  beauty,  and  was  often  chosen  in 
ancient  times  as  a  meeting-place  for  religious  rites. 

And  the  Kenaanite  was  then  in  the  land.  This  simply  implies  that 
the  land  was  not  open  for  Abi-am  to  enter  upon  immediate  possession 
of  it  without  challenge.  Another  was  in  possession.  The  sons  of 
Kenaan  had  already  arrived  and  preoccupied  the  country.  It  also 
intimates,  or  admits,  of  the  supposition  that  there  had  been  previous 
inhabitants  who  may  have  been  subjugated  by  the  invading  Kenaanites. 
Thus  -(N  then  alludes  to  the  past,  as  in  Gen.  iv.  2G.  Some  of  these 
former  inhabitants  will  meet  us  in  the  course  of  the  narrative.  It 
admits  also  of  the  supposition  that  the  Kenaanites  afterwards  ceased 
to  be  its  inhabitants.  Hence  some  have  inferred  that  this  could  not 
have  been  penned  by  Moses,  as  they  were  expelled  after  his  death. 
If  this  supposition  were  the  necessary  or  the  only  one  implied  in  the 
form  of  expression,  we  should  acquiesce  in  the  conclusion  that  this 
sentence  came  from  one  of  the  prophets  to  whom  the  conservation, 
34 


^(^Q  THE  CALL  OF  ABEAM. 

revision,  and  continuation  of  the  living  oracles  were  committed.  But 
we  have  seen  that  two  other  presuppositions  may  be  made  that  satisfy 
the  import  of  the  passage.  Moreover,  the  first  of  the  three  accounts 
for  the  fact  that  Abram  does  not  instantly  enter  on  possession,  as  there 
was  an  occupying  tenant.  And,  finally,  the  third  supposition  may 
fairly  be,  not  that  the  Kenaanites  afterwards  ceased,  but  that  they 
should  afterwards  cease  to  be  in  the  land.  This,  then,  as  well  as 
the  others,  admits  of  Moses  being  the  writer  of  this  interesting  sen- 
tence. 

We  are  inclined  to  think,  however,  that  the  term  Kenaanite  here 
means,  not  the  whole  race  of  Kenaan,  but  the  special  tribe  so  called. 
If  the  former  were  meant,  the  statement  would  be  in  a  manner  super- 
fluous, after  calling  the  country  the  land  of  Kenaan.  If  the  proper 
tribe  be  intended,  then  we  have  evidence  here  that  they  once  pos- 
sessed this  part  of  the  land  which  was  afterwards  occupied  by  the  Hivite 
and  the  Amorite  (Gen.  xxxiv.  2  ;  Jos.  xi.  3)  ;  for,  at  the  time  ot  the 
conquest  by  Abram's  descendants,  the  mountainous  land  in  the  centre, 
including  the  place  of  Shekem,  was  occupied  by  the  Amorites  and 
other  tribes,  while  the  coast  of  the  Mediterranean  and  the  west  bank  of 
the  Jordan  was  held  by  the  Kenaanites  proper  (Jos.  v.  1,  xi.  3).  This 
change  of  occupants  had  taken  place  before  the  time  of  Moses. 

7.  And  the  Lord  ctjjpeared  unto  Abram.  Here,  for  the  first  time, 
this  remarkable  phrase  occui's.  It  indicates  that  the  Lord  presents 
himself  to  the  consciousness  of  man  in  any  way  suitable  to  his  nature. 
It  is  not  confined  to  the  sight,  but  may  refer  to  the  hearing  ( 1  Sam. 
iii.  15).  The  possibility  of  God  appearing  to  man  is  antecedently 
undeniable.  The  fact  of  his  having  done  so  proves  the  possibility. 
On  the  mode  of  his  doing  this  it  is  vain  for  us  to  speculate.  The  Lord 
said  unto  him.  Unto  thy  seed  loill  I  give  this  land.  "  Unto  thy  seed," 
not  unto  thee.  To  Abram  himself  "  he  gave  none  inheritance  in  it,  no, 
not  so  much  as  to  set  his  foot  on"  (Acts  vii.  5).  "  This  land  "  Avhich 
the  Lord  liad  now  shown  him,  though  at  present  occu})ied  by  the 
Kenaanite  invader.  An  altar.  This  altar  is  erected  on  the  spot 
Avhich  is  hallowed  by  the  appearance  of  the  Lord  to  Abram.  The  place 
of  Shekem  might  have  been  supposed  to  have  received  its  name  from 
Shekem,  a  son  of  Gilead  (Num.  xxvi.  31),  did  we  not  meet  with  She- 
kem, the  son  of  Ilamor,  in  this  very  place  in  the  time  of  Jacob  (Gen. 
xxxiv.  2).  We  learn  fi-oni  this  tlie  precariousness  of  the  inference 
that  the  nraiie  of  a  place  is  of  later  origin  because  a  person  of  that 
name  lived  there  at  a  later  period.     The  place  of  Shekem  was  doubt- 


GEN.  XII.  10-20.  267 

less  called  after  a  Shekem  antecedent  to  Abram.  Shekem  and  Moreli 
may  have  preceded  even  the  Kenaanites,  for  anything  Ave  know. 

8,  9.  From  the  oak  of  Moreli  Abram  now  moves  to  the  hill  east  of 
Bethel,  and  pitches  his  tent,  with  Bethel  on  the  west  and  Ai  on  the  east. 
These  localities  are  still  recognized  —  the  former  as  Beiten,  and  the 
latter  as  Tell  er-Rijmeh  (the  mount  of  the  heap).  Bethel  was  a  place, 
adjacent  to  which  was  the  town  called  Luz  at  the  first  (Gen.  xxviii. 
19).  Jacob  gave  this  name  to  the  place  twice  (Gen.  xxviii.  19,  xxxv. 
15).  The  name,  then,  was  not  first  given  at  the  second  nomination  by 
him.  It  follows  that  it  may  not  have  been  first  given  at  his  first  nom- 
ination. Accordingly  we  meet  with  it  as  an  existing  name  in  Abram's 
time,  without  being  constrained  to  account  for  it  by  supposing  the 
present  narrative  to  have  been  composed  in  its  present  form  after  the 
time  of  Jacob's  visit.  On  the  other  hand,  we  may  regard  it  as  an 
interesting  trace  of  early  piety  having  been  present  in  the  land  even 
before  the  arrival  of  Abram.  We  shall  meet  with  other  corroborating 
proofs.  Bethel  continued  afterwards  to  be  a  place  hallowed  by  the 
presence  of  God,  to  which  the  people  resorted  for  counsel  in  the  war 
with  Benjamin  (Judg.  xx.  18,  2G,  31,  xxi.  2),  and  in  which  Jeroboam 
set  up  one  of  the  golden  calves  (1  Kings  xii.  29). 

On  the  hill  east  of  this  sacred  ground  Abram  built  another  altar, 
and  called  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord.  Here  we  have  the  reappear- 
ance of  an  ancient  custom,  instituted  in  the  family  of  Adam  after  the 
birth  of  Euok  (Gen.  iv.  26).  Abram  addi-esses  God  by  his  proper 
name,  Jehovah,  with  an  audible  voice,  in  his  assembled  household. 
This,  then,  is  a  continuation  of  the  worship  of  Adam,  with  additional 
light  according  to  the  progressive  development  of  the  moral  natui-e  of 
man.  But  Abram  has  not  yet  any  settled  abode  in  the  land.  He  is 
only  surveying  its  several  regions,  and  feeding  his  flocks  as  he  finds 
an  opening.     Hence  he  continues  his  journey  southward. 


XXXVIII.    ABRAM  IN  EGYPT.  — Gen.  xii.  10-20. 

15.  in-"'!?  Paroh,  otiro.  Koptic  for  /ciiig,  with  the  masculine  article 
pi.  or  p.  P-ouro,  the  king.  If  we  separate  the  article  p.  from  the 
Hebrew  form,  we  have  ni'"!  for  king,  which  may  be  compared  with 
i-'JJ-\  pastor,  leader,  and    the    Latin   rex,  king.     This  is    the  common 


268  ABEAM  IN  EGYPT. 

title  of  the  Egyptian  sovereigns,  to  which  we  have  the  personal  name 
occasionally  added,  as  Pharoh  Neko,  Pharoh  Hophrah. 

10.  And  there  was  a  famine  in  the  land :  and  Abram  went 
down  into  Mizraim  to  sojourn  there ;  for  grievous  was  the 
famine  in  the  land.  11.  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  he  was 
come  near  to  enter  into  Mizraim,  that  he  said  unto  Sarai  his 
wife,  Behold,  now,  I  know  that  thou  art  a  woman  fair  to  look 
upon.  12.  And  it  shall  come  to  pass  that  the  Mizrites  shall 
see  tlice  and  say.  This  is  liis  wife  ;  and  they  will  kill  me,  but 
they  will  save  thee  alive.  13.  Say  now,  thou  art  my  sister ; 
that  it  may  be  well  with  me  for  thy  sake,  and  my  soul  may 
live  because  of  thee.  14.  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Abram 
was  gone  into  Mizraim,  that  the  Mizrites  beheld  the  woman 
that  she  was  very  fair.  15.  And  the  princes  of  Pharoli  saw 
her,  and  commended  her  to  Pharoh  ;  and  the  woman  was 
taken  into  Pharoh's  house.  16.  And  he  treated  Abram  well 
for  her  sake  ;  and  he  had  sheep  and  oxen  and  he-asses  and 
men-servants  and  maid-servants  and  she-asses  and  camels. 
17.  And  the  Lord  plagued  Pharoh  and  his  house  with  great 
plagues,  on  account  of  Sarai,  Abram's  wife.  18.  And  Pharoh 
called  Abram  and  said.  What  is  this  thou  hast  done  unto  me  ? 
Why  didst  thou  not  tell  me  that  slie  was  thy  wife  ?  19.  Why 
saidst  thou,  She  is  my  sister,  and  I  took  her  to  me  to  wife  ? 
And  now  beliold  thy  wife,  take  her  and  go  thy  way.  20.  And 
Pharoh  commanded  men  concerning  him ;  and  they  sent  him 
away,  and  his  wife,  and  all  that  he  had. 

10.  This  first  visit  of  Abram  to  Mizraim,  or  Egypt,  is  occasioned 
by  the  famine  in  the  land  of  promise.  This  land  is  watered  by  peri- 
odical rains.  A  season  of  drought  arrests  the  progress  of  vegetation, 
and  brings  on  a  famine.  But  in  Egypt,  the  fertility  of  the  loamy  soil 
depends  not  on  local  showers,  but  on  the  annual  rise  of  the  Nile,  which  is 
fed  by  the  rains  of  a  far-distant  mountain  range.  Hence,  when  the  land 
of  Kcnaan  was  wasted  by  drought  and  consequent  famine,  Egypt  was 


GEN.  XII.  10-20.  269 

generally  so  productive  as  to  be  the  granaiy  of  the  neigliborhig  coun- 
tries. As  Kenaan  was  the  brother  of  Mizraim,  the  intercourse  between 
the  two  countries  in  which  they  dwelt  was  natural  and  frequent.  Dry 
seasons  and  dearth  of  provisions  seem  to  have  been  of  frequent  occur- 
rence in  the  land  of  Kenaan  (Gen.  xxvi.  1,  xli.  oG,  57).  Even  Egypt 
itself  was  not  exempt  from  such  calamitous  visitations.  Famine  is 
one  of  God's  rods  for  the  punishment  of  the  wicked  and  the  correction 
of  the  penitent  (2  Sam.  xxiv.  13).  It  visits  Abram  even  in  the  land 
of  promise.  Doubtless  the  wickedness  of  the  inhabitants  was  great 
even  in  his  day.  Abram  himself  was  not  out  of  the  need  of  that  tribu- 
lation that  worketh  patience,  experience,  and  hope.  He  may  have 
been  left  to  himself  under  this  trial,  that  he  might  find  out  by  experi- 
ence his  own  weakness,  and  at  the  same  time  the  faitlifulness  and 
omnipotence  of  Jehovah  the  promiser.  In  the  moment  of  his  perplexity 
he  flees  for  refuge  to  Egypt,  and  the  Lord  having  a  lesson  for  him, 
there  permits  him  to  enter  that  land  of  plenty. 

1 1-13.  It  is  not  without  misgivings,  however,  that  Abram  approaches 
Egypt.  All  the  way  from  Ur  to  Haran,  from  Haran  to  the  land  of 
Kenaan,  and  from  north  to  south  of  the  land  in  which  he  was  a  stranger, 
we  hear  not  a  word  of  apprehension.  But  now  he  betakes  himself  to 
an  expedient  which  had  been  preconcerted  between  him  and  Sarai 
before  they  set  out  on  their  earthly  pilgrimage  (Gen.  xx.  13).  There 
are  some  obvious  reasons  for  the  change  from  composure  to  anxiety 
he  now  betrays.  Abram  was  hitherto  obeying  the  voice  of  the  Lord, 
and  walking  in  the  path  of  duty,  and  therefore  he  was  full  of  unhesi- 
tating confidence  in  the  divine  protection.  Now  he  may  be  pursuing 
his  own  course,  and,  without  waiting  patiently  for  the  divine  counsel, 
venturing  to  cross  the  boundary  of  the  land  of  promise.  He  may 
therefore  be  without  the  fortifying  assurance  of  the  -divine  approvah 
There  is  often  a  whisper  of  this  kind  heard  in  the  soul,  even  when  it 
is  not  fully  conscious  of  the  delinquency  which  occasions  it.  Again, 
the  countries  through  which  he  had  already  passed  were  inhabited  by 
nomadic  tribes,  each  kept  in  check  by  all  the  others,  all  unsettled  in  their 
habits,  and  many  of  them  not  more  potent  than  himself.  The  Kenaan- 
ites  spoke  the  same  language  with  himself,  and  were  probably  only  a 
dominant  race  among  others  whose  language  they  spoke,  if  tliey  did  not 
adopt.  But  in  Egypt  all  was  different.  Mizraim  had  seven  sons,  and, 
on  the  average,  the  daughters  are  as  numerous  as  the  sons.  In  eight 
or  nine  generations  there  might  be  from  half  a  million  to  a  million  of 
inhabitants  in  Egypt,  if  we  allow  five  daughters  as  the  average  of  a 


270  ABEAM  m  EGYPT. 

family.  The  definite  area  of  the  arable  ground  on  the  two  sides  of  the 
Nile,  its  fertilization  by  a  natural  cause  without  much  human  labor,  the 
periodical  regularity  of  the  inundation,  and  the  extraordinary  abundance 
of  the  grain  crops,  combined  both  to  multiply  the  population  with  great 
rapidity,  and  to  accelerate  amazingly  the  rise  and  growth  of  fixed 
institutions  and  a  stable  government.  Here  there  were  a  settled 
country  with  a  foreign  tongue,  a  prosperous  people,  and  a  powerful 
sovereign.  All  this  rendered  it  more  perilous  to  enter  Egypt  than 
Kenaan. 

If  Abram  is  about  to  enter  Egypt  of  his  own  accord,  without  any 
divine  intimation,  it  is  easy  to  understand  why  he  resorts  to  a  device 
of  his  own  to  escape  the  peril  of  assassination.  In  an  arbitrary  gov- 
ernment, where  the  will  of  the  sovereign  is  law,  and  the  passions  are 
uncontrolled,  public  or  private  resolve  is  sudden,  and  execution  sum- 
mary. The  East  still  retains  its  character  in  this  respect.  In  these 
circumstances,  Abram  projioses  to  Sarai  to  conceal  their  marriage,  and 
state  that  she  was  his  sister ;  which  was  perfectly  true,  as  she  was  the 
daughter  of  his  father,  though  not  of  his  mother.  At  a  distance  of 
three  or  four  thousand  years,  with  all  the  development  of  mind  which 
a  completed  Bible  and  an  advanced  philosophy  can  bestow,  it  is  easy 
to  pronounce,  with  dispassionate  coolness,  the  course  of  conduct  here 
proposed  to  be  immoral  and  imprudent.  It  is  not  incumbent  on  us, 
indeed,  to  defend  it ;  but  neither  does  it  become  us  to  be  harsh  or 
excessive  in  our  censure.  In  the  state  of  manners  and  customs  which 
then  prevailed  in  Egypt,  Abram  and  Sarai  vrere  not  certainly  bound 
to  disclose  all  their  private  concerns  to  every  impertinent  inquirer. 
The  seeming  simplicity  and  experience  which  Abram  betrays  in  seek- 
ing to  secure  his  personal  safety  by  an  expedient  which  exposed  to 
risk  his  Vv'ife's  chastity  and  his  own  honor,  are  not  to  be  pressed  too 
far.  The  very  uncertainty  concerning  the  relation  of  the  strangers  to 
each  other  tended  to  abate  that  momentary  caprice  in  the  treatment  of 
individuals  which  is  the  result  of  a  despotic  government.  And  the 
prime  fault  and  folly  of  Abram  consisted  in  not  waiting  for  the  divine 
direction  in  leaving  the  land  of  promise,  and  in  not  committing  himself 
wholly  to  the  divine  protection  when  he  did  take  that  step. 

It  may  seem  strange  that  the  Scripture  contains  no  express  disap- 
probation of  the  conduct  of  Abram.  But  its  manner  is  to  affirm  the 
great  principles  of  moral  truth,  on  suitable  occasions,  with  great  clear- 
ness and  decision  ;  and  in  ordinary  circumstances  simply  to  record  the 
actions  of  its  characters  with  faithfulness,  leaving  it  to  the  reader's 


GEN.  XII.  10-20.  271 

intelligence  to  mark  their  moral  quality.  And  God's  mode  of  teacliinf 
the  individual  is  to  implant  a  moral  principle  in  the  heart,  which,  after 
many  struggles  with  temptation,  will  eventually  root  out  all  lin"-erin"- 
aberrations. 

Sarai  was  sixty -five  years  of  age  (Gen.  xvii.  17)  at  the  time  when 
Abram  describes  her  as  a  woman  fair  to  look  upon.  But  we  are  to 
remember  that  beauty  does  not  vanish  with  middle  age ;  that  Sai-ai's 
age  corresponds  with  twenty-five  or  thirty  years  in  modern  times,  as 
she  was  at  this  time  not  half  the  age  to  which  men  were  then  wont  to 
live  ;  that  she  had  no  family  or  other  hardship  to  bring  on  premature 
decay ;  and  that  the  women  of  Egypt  were  far  from  being  distinguished 
for  regularity  of  feature  or  freshness  of  complexion. 

14-16.  The  inadequacy  of  Abram's  expedient  appears  in  the  issue, 
which  is  different  from  what  he  expected.  Sarai  is  admired  for  her 
beauty,  and,  being  professedly  single,  is  selected  as  a  wife  for  Pharoh; 
while  Abram,  as  her  brother,  is  munificently  entertained  and  rewarded. 
His  property  seems  to  be  enumerated  according  to  the  time  of  acquire- 
ment, or  the  quantity,  and  not  the  quality  of  each  kind.  Sheep  and 
oxen  and  he-asses  he  probably  brought  with  him  from  Kenaan  ;  men- 
servants  and  maid-servants  were  no  doubt  augmented  in  Egypt.  For 
she-asses  the  Septuagint  has  mules.  These,  and  the  camels,  may  have 
been  received  in  Egypt.  The  camel  is  the  carrier  of  the  desert. 
Abram  had  now  become  involved  in  perplexities,  from  which  he  had 
neither  the  wisdom  nor  the  power  to  extricate  himself.  With  what 
bitterness  of  spirit  he  must  have  kept  silence,  received  these  accessions 
to  his  wealth  which  he  dared  not  to  refuse,  and  allowed  Sarai  to  be 
removed  iVom  his  temporary  abode !  His  cunning  device  had  saved 
his  own  person  for  the  time ;  but  his  beautiful  and  beloved  wife  is  torn 
from  his  bosom. 

17.  The  Lord,  who  had  chosen  him,  unworthy  though  he  was,  yet 
not  more  unworthy  than  othei's,  to  be  the  agent  of  his  gracious  purpose, 
now  interposes  to  effect  his  deliverance.  And  the  Lord  plagued  Plia- 
roli.  The  mode  of  the  divine  interference  is  suited  to  have  the  desired 
effect  on  the  parties  concerned.  As  Pharoh  is  punished,  we  conclude 
he  was  guilty  in  the  eye  of  heaven  in  this  matter.  He  committed  a 
breach  of  hospitality  by  invading  the  private  abode  of  the  stranger. 
He  further  infringed  the  law  of  equity  between  man  and  man  in  the 
most  tender  point,  by  abstracting,  if  not  with  violence,  at  least  with  a 
show  of  arbitrary  power  which  could  not  be  resisted,  a  female,  whether 
sister  or  wife,  from  the  home  of  her  natural  guardian  without  the  con- 


272 


ABRAM  AND  LOT  SEPARATE. 


sent  of  eitlier.  A  deed  of  ruthless  self-will,  also,  is  often  rendered 
more  heinous  by  a  blamable  inattention  to  the  character  or  position 
of  him  who  is  wronged.  So  it  was  with  Pharoh.  Abram  was  a  man 
of  blameless  life  and  inoffensive  manners.  He  was,  moreover,  the 
chosen  and  special  servant  of  the  Most  High  God.  Pharoh,  however, 
does  not  condescend  to  inquire  who  the  stranger  is  whom  he  is  about 
to  wrong ;  and  is  thus  unwittingly  involved  in  an  aggravated  crime. 
But  the  hand  of  the  Almighty  brings  even  tyrants  to  their  senses. 
And  his  house.  The  princes  of  Pharoh  were  accomplices  in  his  crime 
(v.  15),  and  his  domestics  were  concurring  Avith  him  in  carrying  it  into 
effect.  But  even  apart  from  any  positive  consent  or  connivance  in  a 
particular  act,  men,  otherwise  culpable,  are  brought  into  trouble  in 
this  world  by  the  faults  of  those  with  whom  they  are  associated.  On 
account  of  Sarai.  Pharoh  was  made  aware  of  the  cause  of  the  jjlagues 
or  strokes  with  which  he  was  now  visited. 

18-20.  Pharoh  upbraids  Abram  for  his  deception,  and  doubtless  not 
without  reason.  He  then  commands  his  men  to  dismiss  him  and  his, 
unharmed,  from  the  country.  These  men  were  probably  an  escort  for 
his  safe  conduct  out  of  Egypt.  Abram  was  thus  reproved  through  the 
mouth  of  Pharoh,  and  will  be  less  hasty  in  abandoning  the  land  of 
promise,  and  betaking  himself  to  carnal  resoui'ces. 


XXXIX.    ABRAM  AND  LOT  SEPARATE.  — Gen.  xiii. 

7.  ipb  Perizzi,  descendant  of  Paraz.  ns  leader,  or  inhabitant  of 
the  plain  or  open  country. 

10.  ^35  circle,  harder,  vale,  cake,  talent;  r.  how,  hend,  go  round, 
dance.  'yV-\^  Jardan,  descending.  Usually  with  the  article  in  prose. 
'nris:  Tso'ar,  smaUness. 

18.  ^yyo  Mamre,  fat,  strong,  ruler.  '|i"i2n  Chebron,  conjunction, 
confederacy. 

XIII.  1.  And  Abram  went  up  out  of  Mizraim,  he  and  his 
wife,  and  all  tliat  he  had,  and  Lot  with  him,  into  tlie  south. 

2,  And  Abram  was  very  rich  in  cattle,  in  silver,  and  in  gold. 

3.  And   he  went  on  his  journeys    from  the  south,    even  to 
Bethel,  unto  the  place  where  his  tent  had  been  at  the  begin- 


GEN.  XIII.  273 

ning,  between  Bethel  and  Ai.  4.  Unto  the  place  of  the  altar 
which  ho  had  made  there  at  the  first ;  and  there  Abram  called 
on  the  name  of  the  Lord. 

5.  And  Lot  also,  who  went  with  Abram,  had  flocks  and 
herds  and  tents.  6.  And  the  land  did  not  bear  them  to  dwell 
together ;  for  their  gaining  was  great,  and  they  could  not  dwell 
together.  7.  And  there  was  a  strife  between  the  herdmen  of 
Abrani's  cattle  and  the  herdmen  of  Lot's  cattle  ;  and  the 
Kenaanite  and  Perizzite  were  then  dwelling  in  the  land.  8. 
And  Abram  said  unto  Lot,  Let  there  be  now  no  striving  be- 
tween me  and  thee,  and  between  my  herdmen  and  thy  herd- 
men ;  for  we  are  brethren,  9.  Is  not  the  whole  land  before 
thee  ?  Separate  thyself  now  from  me  :  if  to  the  left  hand, 
then  I  will  go  to  the  right ;  or  if  to  the  right  hand,  then  I  will 
go  to  the  left.  10.  And  Lot  lifted  up  his  eyes,  and  beheld  all 
the  vale  of  the  Jordan  that  it  was  well-watered  ;  before  the 
Loud  destroyed  Sodom  and  Amorah,  like  the  garden  of  the 
Lord,  like  the  land  of  Mizraim  as  thou  goest  unto  Zoar.  11. 
Then  Lot  chose  him  all  the  vale  of  the  Jordan,  and  Lot  jour- 
neyed east ;  and  they  separated  themselves  the  one  from  tlie 
other.  12.  And  Abram  dwelled  in  the  land  of  Kenaan  ;  and 
Lot  dwelled  in  the  cities  of  the  vale,  and  moved  his  tent 
towards  Sodom.  13.  And  the  men  of  Sodom  were  wicked, 
and  sinners  before  the  Lord  exceedingly. 

14.  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Abram,  after  that  Lot  was  sep- 
arated from  him.  Lift  up  now  thine  eyes,  and  look  from  the 
place  where  thou  art,  northward  and  southward  and  eastward 
and  westward.  15.  For  all  the  land  which  thou  seest,  to  thee 
w^ill  I  give  it,  and  to  thy  seed  forever.  16.  And  I  will  make 
thy  seed  as  the  dust  of  the  earth ;  so  that  if  a  man  can  num- 
ber the  dust  of  tlie  earth,  then  may  thy  seed  be  numbered. 
17.  Arise,  walk  through  the  land,  in  the  length  of  it  and  in 
the  breadth  of  it ;  for  to  thee  will  I  give  it.  18.  Then  Abram 
moved  his  tent,  and  went  and  dwelled  by  the  oaks  of  Mamre,, 
35 


274  ABRAM  AND  LOT  SEPARATE. 

whicli  are  in  Hebron,  and  there  lie  built  an  altar  unto  the 
Lord.  IT  18. 


Lot  has  been  hitherto  kept  in  association  with  Abram  by  the  ties  of 
kinmanship.  But  it  becomes  gradually  manifest  that  he  has  an  inde- 
pendent interest,  and  is  no  longer  disposed  to  follow  the  fortunes  of 
the  chosen  of  God.  In  the  natural  course  of  things  this  under-feeling 
comes  to  the  surface.  Their  serfs  come  into  collision  ;  and  as  Abram 
makes  no  claim  of  authority  over  Lot,  he  offers  him  the  choice  of  a 
dwelling-place  in  the  land.  This  issues  in  a  peaceable  separation,  in 
which  Abram  appears  to  great  advantage.  The  chosen  of  the  Lord  is 
now  in  the  course  of  providence  isolated  from  all  associations  of  kin- 
dred. He  stands  alone,  in  a  strange  land.  He  again  obeys  the  summons 
to  survey  the  land  promised  to  him  and  his  seed  in  perpetuity. 

1-4.  Went  up  out  of  llizraim.  Egypt  is  a  low-lying  valley,  out  of 
which  the  traveller  ascends  into  Arabia  Petraea  and  the  hill-country 
of  Kenaan.  Abram  returns,  a  wiser  and  a  better  man.  When  called 
to  leave  his  native  land,  he  had  forthwith  obeyed.  Such  obedience 
evinced  the  existence  of  the  new  power  of  godliness  in  his  breast. 
But  he  gets  beyond  the  land  of  promise  into  a  land  of  carnality,  and 
out  of  the  way  of  truth  into  a  way  of  deceit.  Such  a  course  betrays 
the  struggle  between  moral  good  and  evil  which  has  begun  within 
him.  This  discovery  humbles  and  vexes  him.  Self-condemnation  and 
repentance  are  at  work  within  him.  We  do  not  know  that  all  these 
feelings  rise  into  consciousness,  but  we  have  no  doubt  that  their  result, 
in  a  subdued,  sobered,  chastened  spirit,  is  here,  and  will  soon  manifest 
itself 

And  Lot  with  him.  Lot  accompanied  him  into  Egypt,  for  he  comes 
with  him  out  of  it.  The  south  is  so  called  in  respect,  not  to  Egypt, 
but  to  the  land  of  promise.  It  acquired  this  title  before  the  times  of 
the  patriarch,  among  the  Hebrew-speaking  tribes  inhabiting  it.  The 
great  riches  of  Abram  consist  in  cattle  and  the  precious  metals.  The 
foimer  is  the  chief  form  of  wealth  in  the  East.  Abram's  flocks  are 
mentioned  in  preparation  for  the  following  occurrence.  He  advances 
north  to  the  place  between  Bethel  and  Ai..  and  perhaps  still  further, 
according  to  verse  4,  to  the  place  of  Shekem,  where  he  built  the  first 
altar  in  the  land.  He  now  calls  on  the  name  of  the  Lord.  The  pro- 
cess of  contrition  in  a  new  heart,  has  come  to  its  right  issue  in  confes- 
sion and  supplication.     The  sense  of  acceptance  with  God,  which  he 


GEN.  xin.  275 

had  before  experienced  in  tliese  places  of  meeting  with  God,  he  has 
now  recovered.     The  spirit  of  adoption,  therefore,  speaks  within  him, 

5-7.  The  collision.  Lot  now  also  abounded  in  the  wealth  of  the 
East.  The  two  opulent  sheiks  (elders,  heads  of  houses)  cannot  dwell 
together  any  more.  Their  serfs  come  to  strife.  The  carnal  temper 
comes  out  among  their  dependents.  Such  disputes  were  unavoidable 
in  the  circumstances.  Neither  party  had  any  title  to  the  land.  Landed 
property  was  not  yet  clearly  defined  or  secured  by  law.  The  land 
therefore  was  a  common,  where  everybody  availed  himself  of  the  best 
spot  for  grazing  he  could  find  unoccupied.  "We  can  easily  understand 
what  facilities  and  temptations  this  would  offer  for  the  strong  to  over- 
bear the  weak.  "We  meet  with  many  incidental  notices  of  such  oppres- 
sion (Gen.  xxi.  25,  xxvi.  15-22;  Ex.  ii.  lG-19).  The  folly  and 
impropriety  of  quarrelling  among  kinsmen  about  jiasture  grounds  on 
the  present  occasion  is  enhanced  by  the  circumstance  that  Abram  and 
Lot  are  mere  strangers  among  the  Kenaanites  and  the  Perizzites,  the 
settled  occupants  of  the  country.  Custom  had  no  doubt  already  given 
the  possessor  a  prior  claim.  Abram  and  Lot  were  there  merely  on 
sufferance,  because  the  country  was  thinly  j)eopled,  and  many  fertile 
spots  were  still  unoccupied.  The  Perizzite  is  generally  associated  with, 
and  invariably  distinguished  from,  the  Kenaanite  (Gen,  xv.  20,  xxxiv. 
30 ;  Ex.  iii.  8,  17).  This  tribe  is  not  found  among  the  descendants 
of  Kenaan  in  the  table  of  nations.  They  stand  side  by  side  with  them, 
and  seem  therefore  not  to  be  a  subject,  but  an  independent  race.  They 
may  have  been  a  Shemite  clan,  roaming  over  the  land  before  the  ar- 
rival of  the  Hamites.  They  seem  to  have  been  by  name  and  custom 
rather  wanderers  or  nomads  than  dwellers  in  the  plain  or  in  the  vil- 
lages. They  dwelt  in  the  mountains  of  Judah  and  Ephraim  (Judges 
i.  4;  Jos.  xvii.  15).  They  are  noticed  even  so  late  as  in  the  time 
of  Ezra  (ix.  1).  The  presence  of  two  powerful  tribes,  independent 
of  each  other,  was  favorable!  to  the  quiet  and  peaceful  residence  of 
Abram  and  Lot,  but  not  certainly  to  their  living  at  feud  with  each  other. 

8,  9.  The  strife  among  the  underlings  does  not  alienate  their  mas- 
ters. Abram  appeals  to  the  obligations  of  brotherhood.  He  proposes 
to  obviate  any  further  difference  by  yielding  to  Lot  the  choice  of  all 
the  land.  The  heavenly  principle  of  forbearance  evidently  holds  the 
supremacy  in  Abram's  breast.  He  walks  in  the  moral  atmosphere  of 
the  sermon  on  the  mount  (Matt.  vi.  28-42). 

10-13.  Lot  accepts  the  offer  of  his  noble-hearted  kinsman.  He 
cannot  do  otherwise,  as  he  is  the  companion,  while  his  uncle  is  the 


276  ABEAM  AND  LOT  SEPAEATE. 

principal.  He  willingly  concedes  to  Abram  his  present  position,  and, 
after  a  lingering  attendance  on  his  kinsman,  retires  to  take  the  ground 
of  self-dependence.  Outward  and  earthly  motives  prevail  with  him  in 
the  selection  of  his  new  abode.  He  is  charmed  by  the  well-watered 
lowlands  bordering  on  the  Jordan  and  its  affluents.  He  is  here  less 
liable  to  a  periodical  famine,  and  he  roams  with  his  serfs  and  herds  in 
the  direction  of  Sodom.  This  town  and  Amorah  (Gomorrah),  were  still 
flourishing  at  the  time  of  Lot's  arrival.  The  country  in  which  they 
stood  was  of  extraordinary  beauty  and  fertility.  The  river  Jordan, 
one  of  the  sources  of  which  is  at  Panium,  after  flowing  through  the 
waters  of  Merom,  or  the  lake  Semechonitis  (Huleh),  falls  into  the  Sea 
of  Galilee  or  Kinnereth,  which  is  six  hundred  and  fifty-three  feet  be- 
low the  level  of  the  Mediterranean,  and  thence  descends  into  the  basin 
of  the  Salt  Sea,  which  is  now  thirteen  hundred  and  sixteen  feet  beneath 
the  same  level,  by  a  winding  course  of  about  two  hundred  miles,  over 
twenty-seven  threatening  rapids.  This  river  may  well  be  called  the 
Descender.  "We  do  not  know  on  -what  part  of  the  border  of  Jordan 
Lot  looked  down  from  the  heights  about  Shekem  or  Ai,  as  the  country 
underwent  a  great  change  at  a  later  period.  But  its  appearance  was 
then  so  attractive  as  to  bear  comparison  with  the  garden  of  the  Lord 
and  the  land  of  Egypt.  The  garden  of  Eden  still  dwelt  in  the  recol- 
lections of  men.  The  fertility  of  Egypt  had  been  lately  witnessed  by 
the  two  kinsmen.  It  was  a  valley  fertilized  by  the  overflowing  of  the 
Nile,  as  this  vale  was  by  the  Jordan  and  its  tributary  streams.  As 
thou  ffoest  unto  Zoar.  The  origin  of  this  name  is  given  in  Gen.  xix. 
20-22.  It  lay  probably  to  the  south  of  the  Salt  Sea,  in  the  wady 
Kerak.  11.  And  Lot  journeyed  east  {^i"};^^).  From  the  hill-country 
of  Shekem  or  Ai  the  Jordan  lay  to  the  east. 

12.  The  men  of  Sodom  ivere  wicked.  The  higher  blessing  of  good 
society,  then,  was  wanting  in  the  choice  of  Lot.  It  is  probable  he  was 
a  single  man  when  he  parted  from  Abram,  and  therefore  that  he  mar- 
ried a  woman  of  Sodom.  He  has  in  that  case  fallen  into  the  snare  of 
matching,  or,  at  all  events,  mingling  with  the  ungodly.  This  was  the 
damning  sin  of  the  antediluvians  (Gen.  vi.  1-7).  Sinners  before  the 
Lord  exceedingly.  Their  country  was  as  the  garden  of  the  Lord.  But 
the  beauty  of  the  landscape  and  the  superabundance  of  the  luxuries  it 
afforded,  did  not  abate  the  sinful  disposition  of  the  inhabitants.  Their 
moral  corruption  only  broke  forth  into  greater  vileness  of  lust,  and 
more  daring  defiance  of  heaven.  They  sinned  exceedingly  and  before 
the  Lord.     Lot  has  fallen  into  the  very  vortex  of  vice  and  blasphemy. 


GEN.  XIII. 


277 


14—18.  The  man  cliosen  of  God  now  stands  alone.  He  has  evinced 
an  humble  and  self-renouncing  spirit.  This  presents  a  suitable  occasion 
for  the  Lord  to  draw  nigh  and  speak  to  his  servant.  His  works  are 
reassurino-.  The  Lord  has  not  yet  done  with,  showing  him  the  land. 
He  therefore  calls  upon  him  to  look  northward  and  southward  and 
eastward  and  westward.  He  then  promises  again  to  give  all  the  land 
which,  he  saw,  as  far  as  his  eye  could  reach,  to  him  and  to  his  seed 
forever.  Abram  is  here  regarded  as  the  head  of  a  chosen  seed,  and 
hence  the  bestowment  of  this  fair  territory  on  the  race  is  an  actual 
grant  of  it  to  the  head  of  the  race.  The  term  "  forever,"  for  a  perpet- 
ual possession,  means  as  long  as  the  order  of  things  to  which  it  belongs 
lasts.  The  holder  of  a  promise  has  his  duties  to  perform,  and  the 
neglect  of  these  really  cancels  the  obligation  to  perpetuate  the  cove- 
nant. This  is  a  plain  point  of  equity  between  parties  to  a  covenant, 
and  regulates  all  that  depends  on  the  personal  acts  of  the  covenanter. 
He,  thirdly,  announces  that  he  will  make  his  seed  as  the  dust  of  the 
earth.  This  multitude  of  seed,  even  when  we  take  the  ordinary  sense 
which  the  form  of  expression  bears  in  po2:)ular  use,  far  transcends  the 
productive  powers  of  the  promised  land  in  its  utmost  extent.  Yet  to 
Abram,  who  was  accustomed  to  the  petty  tribes  that  then  roved  over 
the  pastures  of  Mesopotamia  and  Palestine,  this  disproportion  would 
not  be  apparent.  A  people  who  should  fill  the  land  of  Canaan,  would 
seem  to  him  innumerable.  But  we  see  that  the  promise  begins  already 
to  enlarge  itself  beyond  the  bounds  of  the  natural  seed  of  Abram. 
17.  He  is  again  enjoined  to  walk  over  his  inheritance,  and  contemplate 
it  in  all  its  length  and  bi-eadth,  with  the  reiterated  assurance  that  it 
will  be  his. 

18.  Abram  obeys  the  voice  of  heaven.  He  moves  his  tent  from  the 
northern  station,  where  he  had  parted  with  Lot,  and  encamps  by  the 
oaks  of  Mamre,  an  Amorite  sheik.  He  loves  the  open  country,  as  he 
is  a  stranger,  and  deals  in  flocks  and  herds.  The  oaks,  otherwise 
rendered  by  Onk.  and  the  Vulg.  plains  of  Mamre,  are  said  to  be  in 
Hebron,  a  place  and  town  about  twenty  miles  south  of  Jerusalem,  on 
the  way  to  Beersheba.  It  is  a  town  of  great  antiquity,  having  been 
built  seven  years  before  Zoan  (Tanis)  in  Egypt  (Num.  xiii.  22).  It 
was  sometimes  called  Mamre  in  Abram's  time,  from  his  confederate 
of  that  name.  It  was  also  named  Kiriath  Arba,  the  city  of  Arba,  a 
great  man  among  the  Anakim  (Jos.  xv.  13,  14).  But  on  being  taken 
by  Kaleb  it  recovered  the  name  of  Hebron.  It  is  now  el-Khulil  (the 
friend,  that  is,  of  God ;  a  designation  of  Abram).     The  variety  of 


278  ABRAM  RESCUES  LOT. 

name  indicates  variety  of  masters  ;  first,  a  Sliemite  it  may  be,  then 
the  Amorites,  then  the  Hittites  (Gen.  xxiii.),  then  the  Anakim,  then 
Judah,  and  lastly  the  Mahometans. 

A  third  altar  is  here  built  by  Abram.  His  wandering  course  re- 
quires a  varying  place  of  worship.  It  is  the  Omnipresent  whom  he 
adores.  The  previous  visits  of  the  Lord  had  completed  the  restora- 
tion of  his  inward  peace,  security,  and  liberty  of  access  to  God,  which 
had  been  disturbed  by  his  descent  to  Egypt,  and  the  temptation  that 
had  overcome  him  there.  He  feels  himself  again  at  peace  with  God, 
and  his  fortitude  is  renewed.  He  grows  in  spiritual  knowledge  and 
pi'actice  under  the  great  Teacher. 


XL.    ABRAM  RESCUES  LOT.  —  Gen.  xiv. 

1.  bs'H'ax  Amraphel  ;  r.  unknown.  TP'^'^^X  Ariok,  leonine'?  r.  i^X 
a  lion :  a  name  reappearing  in  the  time  of  Daniel  (ii.  14).  ^O^x 
Ellasar  (r.  un.)  is  identified  with  Larsa  or  Laranclia,  tlie  Adpuraa  or 
Aapd)(<j)v  of  the  Greeks,  now  Senkereh,  a  town  of  lower  Babylonia, 
between  Mugheir  (Ur)  and  Warka  (Erek)  on  the  left  bank  of  the 
Frat.  -iT^rbins)  Kedorla'omer,  was  compared  by  Col.  Rawlinson  with 
Kudur-mapula  or  mabuk,  whose  name  is  found  on  the  bricks  of  Chal- 
da3a,  and  whose  title  is  Apda  martu,  ravager  of  the  west.  He  trans- 
lates it  "  servant  of  Lagamer,"  one  of  the  national  divinities  of  Susiana. 
It  is  also  compared  with  Kedar  el-Ahmar,  "  Kedar  the  Red,"  a  hero 
in  Arabian  story.     b>'"in  Tidal,  terror.     Qiia  Goim,  nations. 

2.  yna  Bera',  gift'?  sdia  Birsha,  long  and  thick'?  Arab.  :3S3^ 
Shinab,  coolness  ?  tralN  Admah,  red  soil.  ^^Niao  Shemeber,  high- 
soaring  ?     Qi'^b^  Tieboim,  gazelles,    sba  Bela,  devouring. 

3.  D'l'nb  Siddim,  plains,  fields. 

5.  C'^xs'i  Rephaim,  the  still,  the  shades,  the  giants.  D'^lll?  n'lPics 
'Ashteroth  Qurnaim,  ewes  of  the  two  horns  ;  according  to  Gesen.,  stars 
of  t!ie  two  horns.  The  first  word  may  be  singular,  ewe,  or  star.  The 
latter  meaning  is  gained  by  connecting  the  word  with  the  Pers.  sitareh 
and  the  Greek  do-TT/p,  star.  Ashteroth  is  the  moon  or  the  planet 
Venus,  whence  Astarte.  diT/iT  Zuzim  ;  r.  glance,  gush.  Wn  Ham, 
rush,  sound,  crowd.  D"^riis  Emim,  terrible,  'n'^xj  Shaveh,  plain.  DTii'ip 
Qiriathaim,  two  cities  ;  r.  meet. 

6.  I'lh    Chori,    troglodyte  ;   v.  hore ;   n.  cave.     "I'^s'U    Se'ir,    roughs 


GEN.  XIV.  279 

sJiaggy.     V J^  El,  tree,  oah,  terebinth,  palm.     ','^stQ  Paran,  bushy,  or  cav- 
ernous. 

7.  a3'd"a  '"J  'En-mlshpat,  well  of  judgment.  ir';]|5  Qaclesb,  conse- 
crated, "^"^^y  'Amaleki,  a  people  that  licks  up.  -irn  ',i:^n  Chatsat- 
son-taraar,  cutting  of  the  palm. 

13.  "i^.ay  'Ibri,  a  descendant  of  Eber.  ^3'1'X,  Esliliol,  cluster  of 
grapes,     "^p  'Aner  ;  r.  un. 

14.  'i^  Dan,  ruler,  judge. 

15.  nnin  Chobah,  hiddeji.  p\i553'i  Dammeseq.  quad.  ;  r.  hasty, 
active,  alert. 

18.  p'i:2"'3^'9    Malkitsedeq,    king   of   righteousness.     dVj^    Shalem, 
peace,     "bli  El,  lasting,  strong  ;  strength. 
20.  ']'jp2,  give,  deliver ;  r.  mag,  may. 


XIY.  1.  And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  days  of  Amrapliel, 
king  of  Shinar ;  Ariok,  king  of  Ellasar  ;  Kedorlaomer,  king 
of  Elam  ;  and  Tidal,  king  of  Goim,  2.  That  they  made  war 
with  Bera,  king  of  Sodom  ;  and  with  Birsha,  king  of  Amorah ; 
Shinab,  king  of  Admah  ;  and  Shemebcr,  king  of  Zeboim  ;  and 
the  king  of  Bela,  that  is,  Zoar.  3.  All  these  joined  together 
in  the  dale  of  Siddim,  which  is  the  Salt  Sea.  4.  Twelve  years 
had  they  served  Kedorlaomer,  and  the  thirteenth  year  they 
robelled.  5.  And  in  the  fourteenth  year  came  Kedorlaomer 
and  the  kings  that  were  with  him,  and  smote  the  R.cphaim  in 
Ashteroth-carnaim,  and  the  Zuzim  in  Ham,  and  the  Emim  in 
the  plain  of  Kiriathaim.  6.  And  the  Horite  in  their  mount 
Seir,  unto  el-Paran,  which  is  by  the  wilderness.  7.  And  they 
returned  and  came  to  En-mishpat,  that  is,  Kadesh,  and  smote 
all  the  field  of  the  Amalekite,  and  also  the  Amorite,  that  dwelt 
in  Hazazon-tamar.  8.  Then  came  out  the  king  of  Sodom,  and 
the  king  of  Amorah,  and  the  king  of  Admah,  and  the  king  of 
Zeboim,  and  the  king  of  Bela,  that  is,  Zoar ;  and  they  joined 
battle  with  them  in  the  dale  of  Siddim.  9.  With  Kedorlao- 
mer, king  of  Elam  ;  and  Tidal,  king  of  Goim  ;  and  Amraphel, 
king  of  Shinar  ;  and  Ariok,  king  of  Ellasar :  four  kings  with 
five.     10.  And  the  dale  of  Siddim  was  full  of  pits  of  asphalt, 


280  ABRAM  EESCUES  LOT. 

and  the  kings  of  Sodom  and  Amorah  fled  and  fell  in  there  ; 
and  they  that  remained  fled  to  the  mountain.  11.  And  they 
took  all  the  goods  of  Sodom  and  Amorah,  and  all  their  vict- 
uals, and  went  away.  12.  And  they  took  Lot  and  his  goods, 
brother's  son  of  Abram,  and  went  away  ;  for  he  was  dwelling 
in  Sodom. 

13.  Then  came  a  fugitive,  and  told  Abram  the  Hebrew  ; 
and  he  was  abiding  by  the  oaks  of  Mamre  tlie  Amorite,  brother 
of  Eshkol  and  brother  of  Aner ;  and  these  were  confederate 
with  Abram.  14.  And  Abram  heard  that  his  brother  was 
taken  captive,  and  drew  out  his  trained  men,  born  in  his  house, 
eighteen  and  three  hundred,  and  pursued  unto  Dan.  15.  And 
he  divided  himself  against  them  by  night,  he  and  his  servants,' 
and  smote  them  ;  and  pursued  them  unto  Hobah,  which  is  on 
the  left  hand  of  Damascus.  16.  And  he  brought  back  all  the 
goods,  and  also  Lot,  his  brother,  and  his  goods  brought  he 
back,  and  also  the  women  and  the  people. 

17.  And  the  king  of  Sodom  came  out  to  meet  him  on  his 
return  from  smiting  Kedorlaomer,  and  the  kings  that  were 
with  him,  at  the  dale  of  Shaveh,  which  is  the  King's  dale.  18. 
And  Melkizedec,  king  of  Shalom,  brought  forth  bread  and 
wine  ;  and  he  was  priest  to  the  most  high  God.  19.  And  he 
blessed  him,  and  said.  Blessed  be  Abram  of  the  most  high  God, 
Founder  of  heaven  and  earth.  20.  And  blessed  be  the  most 
high  God,  who  hath  delivered  thy  foes  into  thy  hand.  And 
he  gave  him  a  tithe  of  all.  21.  And  the  king  of  Sodom  said 
unto  Abram,  Give  me  the  persons,  and  take  the  goods  to  thy- 
self. 22.  And  Abram  said  to  the  king  of  Sodom,  I  have  lifted 
up  my  hand  to  the  Lord,  the  most  high  God,  Founder  of 
heaven  and  earth,  23.  That  from  a  thread  even  to  a  shoe- 
latchet  I  will  not  take  of  all  that  is  thine ;  and  thou  shalt  not 
say,  I  made  Abram  rich  :  24.  Save  only  that  which  the  young 
men  have  eaten,  and  the  portion  of  the  men  who  went  with 
me,  Aner,  Eshkol,  and  Mamre  ;  let  them  take  their  por- 
tion. §  27. 


GEN.  XIV.  281 

The  community  of  feeling  and  of  faith  was  not  yet  wholly  broken 
up  between  Abram  and  Lot,  or  between  them  and  the  nations  out  of 
whom  Abram  had  been  called.  An  interesting  glimpse  is  at  the  same 
time  presented  of  the  daring  and  doing  of  fierce  ambition  in  those  early 
times.  A  confederacy  of  potentates  enter  upon  an  extensive  raid  or 
foray,  in  Avhich  Lot  is  taken  captive.  This  rouses  the  clannish  or  fam- 
ily affection  of  Abram,  who  pursues,  overtakes,  and  defeats  the  retreat- 
ing enemy,  and  recovers  his  friend,  as  well  as  all  the  pi'isoners,  and 
property  that  had  been  taken.  On  his  return  he  receives  refreshment 
and  blessing  from  a  native  prince  who  is  priest  to  the  most  high  God. 

1-12.  The  raid  is  here  minutely  described.  The  dominant  confed- 
eracy consists  of  four  kings.  Many  generations  back  the  first  world- 
power,  consisting  of  four  cities,  was  established  by  Is  imrod  in  the  land 
of  Shinar  (Gen.  x.  8-10).  This  has  now  given  way  to  a  world-con- 
federacy, consisting  of  four  kings.  From  the  vicinity  of  the  places  in 
which  they  reigned  it  is  evident  that  they  were  petty  princes  of  domains 
varying  from  a  town  and  its  suburbs  to  a  comparatively  extensive 
territory.  The  first,  Amraphel,  is  king  of  Shinar.  He  is  therefore  the 
successor  of  Nimrod,  and  the  sovereign  of  the  most  ancient  kingdom,  and 
on  these  grounds  occupies  the  first  place  in  the  list.  But  this  kingdom 
is  no  longer  the  sole  or  even  the  supreme  power.  Amraphel  is  probably 
the  descendant  of  IVimrod,  and  a  Kushite.  The  second,  Ai'iok,  is  king 
of  Ellasar.  If  this  town  be  the  same  as  Larsa,  lying  between  the  Frat 
and  the  Shat  el- Hie,  the  land  of  Shinar  has  been  divided  between  two 
sovereigns,  and  no  longer  belongs  entirely  to  the  successor  of  Nimrod. 
Lower  Shinar  includes  also  Ur  of  the  Kasdim  ;  and  hence  Ariok  prob- 
ably represents  that  race.  The  third,  Kedorlaomer,  is  king  of  Elam, 
or  Elymais,  a  country  east  of  the  lower  Tigris,  and  separated  by  it 
from  Shinar.  He  is  probably  a  Shemite,  as  the  country  over  which 
he  ruled  received  its  name  from  a  son  of  Shem  (Gen.  x.  22).  He  is 
the  lord  paramount  of  the  others,  and  commander-in-chief  of  the  united 
forces.  Hence  the  Hamite  seems  to  have  already  succumbed  to  the 
Shemite.  The  fourth,  Tidel,  is  designated  "  king  of  Goim."  Goim 
means  nations ;  and  it  is  doubtful  whether  it  denotes  here  a  special 
nation  or  a  congeries  of  tribes.  The  Gentiles,  specially  so  called,  seem 
io  have  been  Japhethites  (Gen.  x.  5).  It  is  obvious  that  four  nation- 
alities are  here  leagued  together,  corresponding  probably  to  the  Kiprat 
arbat,  four  nations  or  tongues  mentioned  by  Rawlinson  (Anc.  Mon.  1. 
p.  69).  But  Kedorlaomer,  king  of  Elam,  is  clearly  not  a  Kushite.  The 
only  question  seems  to  be  whether  he  is  a  Shemite  or  a  Japhethite,  or 
30 


282  ABRAM  RESCUES  LOT. 

Arian,  in  which  race  the  Sheraite  was  ultimately  absorbed.  If  the 
Ibrmer  alternative  be  adopted,  wc  may  have  two  Shemite  languages 
among  the  four.  If  the  latter  be  accepted,  Kedorlaomer  is  an  Arian  ; 
Tidal,  a  Turanian  ;  Ami-aphel,  a  Ilamite  ;  and  Ariok,  a  Shemite.  In 
either  case  the  Kushite  has  become  subordinate,  and  a  Japhetliite  or  a 
Shemite  has  attained  the  predominance. 

2,  3.  They  made  war.  Shinar  was  the  central  region  from  Avhich 
the  different  branches  of  the  human  family  dispersed  after  the  confu- 
sion of  tongues.  It  is  possible  that  the  mother  country  claimed  some 
supremacy  over  the  colonies.  Shinar  was  also  a  great  centre  of 
commerce,  and  the  cities  of  the  dale  of  Siddim  formed  another,  of 
secondary  importance.  Intercourse  between  the  two  countries  was 
therefore  frequent.  Abram  himself  had  come  from  Ur  Kasdim.  The 
spirit  of  despotism  had  descended  from  Nimrod  to  the  present  potentates 
of  the  East,  and  prompted  them  to  aim  at  universal  empire.  The  five 
kings  are  the  petty  sovereigns,  each  of  a  single  town  and  its  neighbor- 
hood. The  area  in  which  these  towns  lay  was  very  circumscribed. 
Yv^ith  the  exception  of  the  territory  of  Bela  it  was  afterwards  sub- 
merged and  formed  part  of  the  basin  of  the  Salt  Sea.  Hence  Siddim 
is  said  to  be  the  Salt  Sea.  The  dale  is  the  deep  valley  or  glen  in 
which  these  kings  dwelt  on  the  banks  of  the  Jordan,  or  the  salt  lake 
into  which  it  flowed.  Of  the  five  cities,  Sodom  was  the  chief  in  power, 
luxury,  and  wickedness ;  whence  it  is  mentioned  first.  Bela  is  also 
called  Zoar,  the  little,  and  hence  is  placed  last ;  even  the  name  of  its 
king  is  not  given.  All  these  joined  together.  They  formed  a  league 
in  self-defence,  and  marched  out  to  meet  the  enemy  in  the  dale  of 
Siddim. 

4-7.  The  narrative  here  reverts  to  the  previous  circumstances  which 
gave  occasion  to  the  present  raid.  Twelve  years  had  they  served  Kedor- 
laomer. These  j'-ears  date  probably  from  the  commencement  of  his 
reign.  They  may  have  been  previously  dependent  on  the  dominant 
power  in  Shinar,  and  connected  with  it  by  national  descent.  If  Kedor- 
laomer had  wrested  the  supremacy  from  the  king  of  Shinar,  and  so 
was  regarded  as  an  alien  by  the  princes  of  Siddim,  their  coolness  might 
gradually  ripen  into  disaffection.  In  the  thirteenth  year  they  rebelled, 
and  in  the  fourteenth  Kedorlaomer  came  to  quell  the  revolt.  This 
military  expedition  embraced  for  loftier  objects  than  the  mere  subjuga- 
tion of  the  Pentapolis  in  the  dale  of  Siddim.  In  passing  from  Shinar 
the  invaders  must  have  marched  in  a  nortlnvesterly  direction  along  the 
Frat,  touchiiig  up,on  Tadinor  and  Damascus.     We  are  not  informed 


GEN.  XIV.  283 

whether  tliey  held  any  sway  or  made  any  conquest  m  these  intervening 
regions.  But  they  overran  the  country  that  stretches  along  the  whole 
east  side  of  the  Jordan,  and  the  parts  south  and  west  of  the  Salt  Sea. 

The  Eephaim  lay  in  Peraea.  Some  of  them  also  were  once  found 
on  the  west  side  of  the  Jordan  (Gen.  xv.  20),  where  they  gave  name 
to  the  valley  of  Rephaim  (Wady  el-Werd),  southwest  of  Jerusalem, 
on  the  way  to  Bethlehem  (Jos.  xv.  8),  occupied  part  of  Mount  Ephraim 
(Jos.  xvii.  15),  and  lingered  for  a  long  time  among  the  Philistines 
(2  Sam.  xxi.  IG,  ff.).  They  were  a  tall  or  gigantic  race.  They  were 
not  Kenaanites,  but  seem  to  have  entered  the  country  before  them. 
They  were  conquered  in  Peraea  by  the  Amorites,  a  branch  of  the 
Kenaanite  family ;  and  by  the  descendants  of  Lot,  the  Ammonites  and 
Moabites.  A  remnant  of  them  only  lingered  in  the  country  when  the 
Israelites  arrived  (Deut.  ii,  20,  iii.  11,  13).  They  may  have  been 
Shemites  or  Japhethites.  The  site  of  Ajditeroth  Carnaim  has  not  been 
ascertained.  Ritter  finds  it  in  Tell  Ash'areh.  Porter  suggests 'Aflneh, 
eight  miles  from  Busrah,  as  the  Samaritan  version  has  'Aphinit  for 
'Ashtaroth. 

The  Zuzim  dwelt  betvv^een  the  Jabbok  and  the  Arnon.  They  arc 
supposed  to  be  the  same  as  the  Zamzummin,  who  were  dispossessed  by 
the  Ammonites.  If  so,  they  were  a  branch  of  the  Rephaim  (Deut. 
ii.  20).     Their  town,  Ham,  is  of  unknown  site. 

The  Emim  were  also  accounted  Rephaim.  They  lay  on  the  east  of 
the  Salt  Sea,  and  were  afterwards  conquered  by  the  Moabites,  who 
gave  them  this  name  (Deut.  ii.  10,  11).  Of  Shaveh  Kiriathaim,  the 
plain  of  the  two  cities,  the  name  probably  remains  in  el-Kureiyat,  a 
site  near  Jebel  Attarus  in  Moab. 

The  Horites  were  perhaps  a  Shemite  tribe,  the  aboriginal  inhabitants 
of  Mount  Seir,  where  they  dwelt  in  caves ;  such  as  are  still  to  be  seen 
in  Petra  and  other  places  around.  They  were  afterwards  absorbed 
into  the  Edomites.  Mount  Seir  stretches  between  the  Salt  Sea  and 
the  Elanitic  Gulf.  El-Paran,  terebinth  of  Paran,  is  perhaps  the  same 
as  Elath,  at  the  head  of  the  gulf  of  Aelana  or  Akaba.  Paran  lay  west 
of  Mount  Seir  and  south  of  Palestine,  and  stretched  into  the  peninsula 
of  Sinai,  where  the  name  may  yet  be  preserved  in  "Wady  Feiran.  El- 
Paran  would  thus  be  by  the  wilderness  of  that  name,  now  et-Tih. 

7.  This  was  the  extreme  point  of  their  march  southward.  They 
now  turned  back  by  another  route.  Enmishpat,  which  is  Kadesh,  lay 
between  Mount  Hor  and  the  Salt  Sea,  at  a  site  now  called  Ain  el- 
Wcibeh.      The  field  of  the  Amalekile  was  some  part  of  the  country 


284  ABRAM  EESCUES  LOT.  * 

lying  between  Palestine  and  Egypt,  which  was  afterwards  occupied 
by  the  Amalekites.  Instead  of  Jleld,  the  Septuagint  has  apxavras, 
rulers  of  Amdek  ;  but  this  reading  is  not  supported.  The  ti'ibe  is  de- 
scended from  Amalek,  the  son  of  Eliphaz  and  grandson  of  Esau  (Gen. 
xxxvi.  12).  Traces  of  them  are  found  as  far  north  as  Ephraim  (Judg. 
V.  14,  xii.  15).  Balaam  calls  Amalek  the  beginning  of  the  nations 
(Num.  xxiv.  20)  ;  but  this  cannot  be  understood  absolutely,  as  the 
name  does  not  even  occur  in  the  table  of  nations.  It  is  therefore  well 
explained  to  mean  that  Amalek  was  the  first  that  attacked  Israel  on 
coming  out  of  Egypt.  The  invading  host  advance  still  further,  to 
Hazazon-tamar,  cutting  of  the  palm,  which  is  En-gedi  (well  of  the  kid, 
2  Chron.  xx.  2),  situated  on  the  western  shore  of  the  Salt  Sea,  and 
now  called  Ain  Jidy.     This  was  a  settlement  of  the  Amorites. 

8-12.  Yfc  have  now  arrived  again  at  the  point  we  had  reached  in 
V.  3.  The  five  kings  came  out  and  joined  battle  with  the  four  in  the 
dale  of  Siddira.  This  dale  abounded  in  pits  of  mineral  pitch,  or  asphalt. 
The  kings  of  Sodom  and  Amorah  fled  toward  these  pits,  and  seem  to 
have  fallen  into  them  and  perished.  The  others  betook  themselves  to 
the  mountain  —  probably  the  heights  on  the  east  of  the  dale. 

11.  The  provisions  and  other  movable  property  of  the  vanquished 
are  carried  away  from  Sodom  and  Amorah.  For  ds"!  goods,  the  Sep- 
tuagint has  here  and  in  the  21st  verse  rijv  Linrcrv,  the  cavalry.  This 
implies  the  reading  S:'^,  which  is  not  supported  by  other  authorities, 
nor  suitable  to  the  context.  Among  the  prisoners  is  Lot,  the  son  of 
Abram's  brother.  This  designation  prepares  vis  for  what  is  to  follow. 
It  is  added  that  he  was  dwelling  in  Sodom,  to  explain  why  he  was 
among  the  captives.  They  went  aivay.  The  invaders  were  now  laden 
with  booty.  Their  fii'st  concern  was  to  transfer  this  to  their  native 
country,  and  deposit  it  in  a  place  of  safety.  It  was  not  prudent  to 
delay  while  they  were  encumbered  with  so  much  valuable  property. 
The  terms  on  which  the  conquered  tribes  were  to  "  serve  "  them  could 
be  settled  by  negotiation.  If  these  terms  were  not  accepted,  they  would 
be  quite  ready  for  another  predatory  incursion. 

This  great  foray  is  only  incidentally  introduced  into  our  narrative, 
on  account  of  the  capture  of  Lot.  It  was  not  the  first  visit  probably 
of  these  marauders  to  the  same  lands.  It  is  interesting  to  the  historian, 
as  a  sample  of  the  mode  in  which  conquest  was  made.  It  opens  up  to 
the  view  one  of  the  ancient  scenes  of  human  activity.  It  teaches  us 
that  tlic  wave  of  Avar  often  flowed  over  the  lands  of  the  ancient  world, 
and  left  more  or  less  lasting  marks  of  its  disturbing  power.     Tribes 


GEX.  XIV.  285 

were  not  unfrequently  moved  from  place  to  place,  intermiagled  witb. 
one  another,  and  enslaved  by  other  tribes.  The  actual  state  of  things 
in  the  land  of  Abram's  pilgrimage  is  suddenly  presented  to  us  under  a 
new  light.  The  Eephaim,  including  the  Zuzim  and  the  Emim,  occupy 
the  east  of  the  Jordan,  and  had  once  a  place  on  the  west.  The  Periz- 
zites  also  dwell  side  by  side  with  the  Kenaanites  in  the  western 
district.  The  Horites  are  found  in  Mount  Seir.  As  none  of  these 
were  Kenaan's  descendants,  we  have  the  undeniable  traces  of  a  She- 
mi'dc  population  before  and  along  with  the  Kenaanites.  The  language 
of  Heber,  therefore,  was  in  the  country  before  the  latter  arrived. 

13-lG.  Abram  rescues  Lot.  ss'^bsn  "the  fugitive"  party,  as  "the 
Kenaanite  "  for  the  whole  nation.  The  escaped  party  inform  Abram 
when  one  of  their  number  does  so.  77ie  Hebrew.  This  designation 
is  given  to  Abram  plainly  for  the  purpose  of  connecting  him  with  Lot. 
The  Septuagint  translates  the  word  by  Trepar?;?,  one  who  passes. 
This  has  been  explained  by  transjiuvialis,  one  who  has  come  across 
tbe  river ;  namely,  the  Frat.  This  no  doubt  applies  to  Lot  as  well  as 
Abram ;  but  it  also  applies  to  every  other  tribe  in  the  country,  inas- 
much, as  all  had  originally  nn'grated  across  the  Euphrates.  Besides, 
the  word  is  nowhere  else  used  in  this  sense,  but  always  as  a  patro- 
nymic. And  moreover  Abram  is  here  distinguished  as  the  Hebrew, 
just  as  his  confederate  Mamre  is  distinguished  as  the  Amorite.  The 
object  of  these  designations  is  to  mark,  not  only  their  relation  to  each 
other,  but  also  their  connection  with  those  who  were  carried  off  as 
prisoners  of  war.  The  term  Hebrew  does  not  come  into  the  narrative 
by  hap-hazard.  "  The  sons  of  B[eber  "  are  distinctly  mentioned  in  the 
table  of  nations  among  the  descendants  of  Shem.  Its  introduction 
here  intimates  that  there  were  other  descendants  of  Heber  besides 
Abram  already  in  the  land.  They  could  not  but  be  a  widespread 
race.  One  branch  of  them,  the  Joctanites,  were  the  first  stock  of 
Arabia's  inhabitants,  and  the  Palgites  may  have  been  the  earliest 
settlers  in  the  adjacent  Palestine.  How  many  of  the  non-Kenaanites 
belong  to  them  we  cannot  tell ;  but  we  learn  from  the  statement  now 
before  us  that  the  Hebrew  was  at  this  time  a  known  patronymic.  The 
way  between  Mesopotamia  and  Palestine  has  been  often  trodden, 

Abram  was  dwelling  by  the  oaks  of  Mamre,  near  Plebron,  and 
therefore  not  far  from  the  scene  of  war.  He  was  also  in  league  with 
Mamre  and  his  brothers  Eshkol  and  Aner.  This  league  was,  it  is 
evident  from  the  result,  for  mutual  defence. 

14.  His  brother.     This  is  a  customary  extension  of  the  term,  whether 


286  ABEAM  RESCUES  LOT. 

Ave  regfml  Lot  as  his  brother's  son,  or^at  the  same  time  his  brother-in- 
lav7.  His  trained  men.  Abram  had  now  a  company  of  three  hundred 
and  eighteen  trained  men,  born  in  his  own  house  ;  which  implies  a 
follov/ing  of  more  than  one  thousand  men,  women,  and  children.  His 
flocks  and  herds  must  have  corresponded  in  extent  to  such  an  estab- 
lishment. Unto  Dan.  This  name  is  found  in  the  Hqbrew,  Samaritan, 
Scptuagint,  and  Onkelos.  It  might  naturally  be  supposed  that  the 
sacred  reviser  of  the  text  had  inserted  it  here,  had  we  not  grounds  for 
a  contrary  supposition.  The  custom  of  the  reviser  was  to  add  the 
other  name  without  altering  the  original ;  of  which  we  have  several 
examples  in  this  very  chapter  (v.  2,  3,  7,  8,  17).  We  are,  therefore, 
led  to  regard  Dan  as  in  use  at  the  time  of  Abram.  Held  at  that 
remote  period  perhaps  by  some  Hebrew,  it  fell  at  length  into  the  hands 
of  the  Sidonians  (Judg.  xviii.),  who  named  it  Laish  (lion)  and  Leshem 
(ligure).  Names  of  places  in  that  eastern  land  vary,  from  a  slight 
resemblance  in  sound  (paronomasia),  a  resemblance  in  sense  (syno- 
nyms), a  change  of  masters,  or  some  other  cause.  Laish  and  Leshem 
are  significant  names,  partly  alike  in  sound,  and  applied  to  the  same 
town.  They  took  the  place  of  Dan  when  the  town  changed  masters. 
The  recollection  of  its  ancient  name  and  story  may  have  attracted  the 
Danites  to  the  place,  who  burned  Laish  and  built  a  new  city  which  they 
again  called  Dan.  This  town  was  situated  at  the  source  of  the  lesser 
Jordan,  with  which  some  have  connected  its  name.  Its  site  is  now 
occupied  by  Tell  el-Kady,  the  hill  of  the  judge.  This  is  a  case  of 
resemblance  in  sense  between  varying  names.  Others,  however,  dis- 
tinguish the  present  Dan  from  the  Laish  Dan,  and  identify  it  with 
Danjaan  or  jaar,  "  Dan  in  the  wood  "  (2  Sam.  xxiv.  6).  The  former 
is  not  on  the  road  to  Damascus,  while  the  latter  was  north  of  Gilead, 
and  may  have  been  near  the  route  either  by  the  south  of  the  sea  of 
Kinnereth,  or  of  the  waters  of  Merom.  This  is  possible,  and  deserves 
consideration.  But  there  may  have  been  a  third  way  to  Damascus, 
passing  Tell  el-Kady  ;  this  place  itself  is  on  the  east  side  of  the  main 
stream  of  the  Jordan,  and  the  expression  "i:^';;;  ns'^  is  confessedly  obscure. 
15,  IG.  Abram  and  his  confederates  found  the  enemy  secure  and  at 
their  ease,  not  expecting  pursuit.  They  attack  them  on  two  quarters  ; 
Abram,  probably,  on  the  one,  and  his  allies  on  the  other,  by  night, 
discomfit  and  pursue  them  unto  Hobah.  On  the  left  hand  of  Damascus. 
riobah  was  on  the  north  of  Damascus.  An  Eastern,  in  fixing  the  points 
of  the  heavens,  faces  the  rising  sun,  in  which  position  the  east  is  before 
liim,  the  v>-est  behind,  the  south  at  the  riglit  hand,  and  tlie  north  at  the 


GEN.  XIV.  287 

left.  Ilobali  is  referred  by  the  Jews  to  Jobar,  a  place  northeast  of 
Damascus.  J.  L.  Porter  suggests  a  place  due  north,  called  Burzeh, 
■where  there  is  a  Moslem  wely  or  saint's  tomb,  called  Makam  Ibrahim, 
the  sanctuary  of  Abraham  (Handb.  p.  492).  This  route,  by  the  noi'th 
of  Damascus,  illustrates  the  necessity  of  advancing  far  north  to  get 
round  the  desert  intervening  between  Shinar  and  the  cities  of  the  plain. 

Damascus,  Dimishk,  esh-Sham,  is  a  very  ancient  city  of  Aram. 
The  choice  of  the  site  was  probably  determined  by  the  Abana  (Barada) 
and  Pharpar  (Awaj),  flowing,  the  one  from  Anti-Libanus,  and  the  other 
from  Mount  Hermon,  and  fertilizing  a  circuit  of  thirty  miles.  "Within 
this  area  arose  a  city  which,  amidst  all  the  changes  of  dynasty  that 
have  come  over  it,  has  maintained  its  prosperity  to  the  present  day, 
when  it  has  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  inhabitants.  It  was  orig- 
inally occupied  by  the  descendants  of  Aram,  and  may  have  been  built, 
as  Josephus  informs  us,  by  Uz  his  son. 

Abram,  with  his  allies,  succeeded  in  defeating  the  enemy  and 
recovering  the  property,  with  the  prisoners,  male  and  female,  that  had 
been  carried  away,  and,  among  the  rest.  Lot,  the  object  of  his  generous 
and  gallant  adventure. 

17-24.  Abram's  reception  on  his  return.  The  king  of  Sodom. 
This  is  either  Bera,  if  he  survived  the  defeat,  or,  if  not,  his  successor. 
The  dale  of  Shaveh,  which  is  the  King's  dale.  The  word  pr^  is  here 
rendered  uniformly  by  the  familiar  term  dale.  The  dale  of  Shaveh  is 
here  explained  by  the  King's  dale.  This  phrase  occurs  at  a  period 
long  subsequent  as  the  name  of  the  valley  in  which  Absalom  reared 
his  pillar  (2  Sam.  xviii.  18).  There  is  nothing  to  hinder  the  identity 
of  the  place,  which  must,  according  to  the  latter  passage,  have  been 
not  far  from  Jerusalem.  Josephus  makes  the  distance  two  stadia, 
which  accords  with  the  situation  of  Absalom's  tomb,  though  the  build- 
ing now  so-called,  in  the  valley  of  Jehoshaphat,  seems  to  be  of  later 
origin.  The  identity  of  the  King's  dale  with  the  valley  east  of  Jerusa- 
lem, through  which  the  Kedi'on  flows,  corresponds  very  well  with  the 
present  passage. 

18-20.  An  incident  of  the  deepest  interest  here  takes  us  by  surprise. 
Tlie  connecting  link  in  the  narrative  is  obviously  the  place  where  the 
king  of  Sodom  meets  with  Abram.  The  King's  dale  is  plainly  adjacent 
to  the  royal  residence  of  Melkizedec,  who  therefore  comes  forth  to 
greet  and  entertain  the  returning  victor.  This  prince  is  the  king  of 
Shalem.  This  is  apparently  an  ancient  name  of  Jerusalem,  which  is 
so  designated  in  Ps.  Ixxvi.  8.     The  other  Shalem,  which  lay  in  the 


288  ABEAM  EESCUES  LOT. 

vicinity  of  Sliekem  (Gen.  xxxiii.  18,  if  tliis  be  a  proper  name)  is  far 
away  from  the  King's  dale  and  the  town  of  Sodom.  Jerusalem  is 
convenient  to  these  localities,  and  contains  the  element  Shalem  in  its 
composition,  as  the  name  signifies  the  foundation  of  peace  (Shalem). 

The  king  of  Shalem,  by  name  king  of  righteousness,  and  by  office 
king  of  peace,  brought  forth  bread  and  wine.  These  are  tlie  standing 
elements  of  a  simple  repast  for  the  refreshment  of  the  body.  In  after 
times  they  were  by  divine  appointment  placed  on  the  table  of  the  pres- 
ence in  the  tabernacle  (Ex.  xxv.  29,  30).  They  were  the  accompani- 
ments of  the  Paschal  lamb  (Matt.  xxvi.  26,  27),  and  they  V'cre  adopted 
by  the  Messiah  as  the  sacred  symbols  of  that  heavenly  fare,  of  which, 
if  a  man  partake,  he  shall  live  forever  (.John  vi.  48-58).  The  Au- 
thor of  revelation  has  made  all  nature  intrinsically  good  and  pure. 
He  has  realized  therein  a  harmony  of  the  laws  of  intelligence  and  de- 
sign ;  everything  meets  and  matches  all  that  comes  into  contact  with 
it ;  and  all  together  form  a  cosmos,  a  system  of  things,  a  unity  of  types 
and  antitvpes.  His  word  cannot  but  correspond  to  his  work.  Bread 
and  wine  are  common  things,  familiar  to  the  eye,  the  touch,  and  the 
taste  of  men.  The  great  Teacher  takes  them  up  out  of  the  hands  of 
man  as  emblems  of  grace,  mercy,  and  peace,  through  an  accepted 
ransom,  of  the  lowliest  as  well  as  the  loftiest  boon  of  an  everlasting 
salvation,  and  they  have  never  lost  their  significance  or  appropriate- 
ness. 

And  lie  was  priest  to  the  most  high  God.  From  this  we  are  assured 
that  the  bread  and  wine  refreshed  not  only  the  body,  but  the  soul  of 
Abram.  In  close  connection  with  the  preceding  sentence,  it  seems  to 
intimate  that  the  bringing  forth  of  bread  and  wine  was  a  priestly  act, 
and,  accordingly,  the  crowning  part  of  a  sacred  feast.  Tlie  kohen,  or 
priest,  who  is  here  mentioned  for  the  first  time  in  Scripture,  was  one 
who  acted  in  sacred  things  on  the  part  of  others.  He  was  a  mediator 
between  God  and  man,  representing  God  holding  out  the  hand  of 
mercy,  and  man  x*eaching  forth  the  hand  of  faith.  The  necessity  of 
such  an  ofTice  grew  out  of  the  distance  between  God  and  man  pro- 
duced by  sin.  The  business  of  the  priest  was  to  offer  sacrifice  and  to 
intercede  ;  in  the  former  making  amends  to  the  law,  in  the  latter  ap- 
pealing to  the  mercy  of  God.  "VVe  do  not  learn  by  express  statement 
what  was  the  mode  of  intervention  on  the  part  of  Melkizedec.  But 
we  know  that  sacrifice  was  as  early  as  Habel,  and  that  calhng  on  the 
name  of  the  Lord  was  commenced  in  the  time  of  Enosh.  These  were 
early  forms  of  approach  to  God.     The  offices  of  king  and  priest  were 


GEN.  XIV.  289 

combined  in  Melkizedec  —  a  condition  of  things  often  exemplified  in 
after  times. 

The  most  high  God.  Here  we  meet  with  a  new  name  of  God,  El, 
the  Lasting,  the  Mighty,  cognate  with  Elohim,  and  previously  occur- 
riuo-  in  the  compound  proper  names  Mehujael,  Mahalalel,  and  Bethel. 
"We  have  also  an  epithet  of  God,  Elion  the  most  high,  now  appearing 
for  the  first  time.  Hence  we  perceive  that  the  unity,  the  omnipotence, 
and  the  absolute  preeminence  of  God  were  still  living  in  the  memory 
and  conscience  of  a  section  at  least  of  the  inhabitants  of  this  land. 
Still  more,  the  worship  of  God  was  not  a  mere  domestic  custom,  in 
which  the  father  or  head  of  the  family  officiated,  but  a  public  ordinance 
conducted  by  a  stated  functionary.  And,  lastly,  the  mode  of  worship 
was  of  such  a  nature  as  to  represent  the  doctrine  and  acknowledge  the 
necessity  of  an  atonement,  since  it  was  performed  by  means  of  a  priest. 

18.  And  he  blessed  him.  Here  it  comes  out  clearly  that  Melkizedec 
acts  not  only  in  a  civil  but  in  a  sacred  capacity.  He  blesses  Abram^ 
In  the  foi-m  of  benediction  employed  we  have  two  parts  :  the  former 
of  which  is  strictly  a  blessing  or  asking  of  good  things  for  the  person 
in  question.  Blessed  he  Ahram.  It  is  the  part  of  the  father  to  bless 
the  child,  of  the  patriarch  or  superior  to  bless  the  subject  or  inferior, 
and  of  the  priest  to  bless  the  people  (Heb.  vii.  7).  Here,  accordingly, 
Melkizedec  assumes  and  Abram  concedes  to  him  the  superiority.  The 
most  high  God  is  here  further  designated  as  the  Founder  of  heaven 
and  earth,  the  great  Architect  or  Builder,  and,  therefore,  Possessor  of 
all  things.  There  is  here  no  indistinct  allusion  to  the  creation  of 
"  heaven  and  earth,"  mentioned  in  the  opening  of  the  Book  of  God. 
This  is  a  manifest  identification  of  the  God  of  Melkizedec  with  the  one 
Creator  and  Upholder  of  all  things.  "We  have  here  no  mere  local  or 
national  deity,  with  limited  power  and  province,  but  the  sole  and  su- 
preme God  of  the  universe  and  of  man. 

20.  The  second  part  of  this  benedictory  prayer  is  a  thanksgiving  to 
the  common  God  of  Melkizedec  and  Abram  for  the  victory  which  had 
been  vouchsafed  to  the  latter.  TJ^y  foes.  Here  Abram  is  personally 
addressed.  Melkizedec  as  a  priest  first  appeals  to  God  on  behalf  of 
Abram,  and  then  addresses  Abram  on  behalf  of  God.  He  thus  per- 
forms the  part  of  a  mediator. 

And  he  gave  him  a  tithe  of  all.  This  is  a  very  significant  act.  In 
presenting  the  tenth  of  all  the  spoils  of  victory,  Abram  makes  a  prac- 
tical acknowledgment  of  the  absolute  and  exclusive  supremacy  of  the 
God  whom  Melkizedec  worshipped,  and  of  the  authority  and  validity 
37 


290  ABEAM  RESCUES  LOT. 

of  the  priesthood  which  he  exercised.  We  have  here  all  the  indica- 
tions of  a  stated  order  of  sacred  rites,  in  which  a  costly  service,  with  a 
fixed  official,  is  maintained  at  the  public  expense,  according  to  a  def- 
inite rate  of  contribution.  The  gift  in  the  present  case  is  the  tenth  of 
the  spoils  of  war.  This  act  of  Abram,  though  recorded  last,  may  have 
taken  place  at  the  commencement  of  the  interview.  At  all  events,  it 
renders  it  extremely  probable  that  a  sacrifice  had  been  offered  to  God, 
through  the  intervention  of  Melkizedec,  before  he  brought  forth  the 
bread  and  wine  of  the  accepted  feast. 

It  is  obvious  that  here  we  stand  on  broader  ground  than  the  special 
promise  made  to  Abram.  Melkizedec  was  not  a  partner  in  the  call 
of  Abram,  and  yet  the  latter  acknowledges  him  as  a  priest  of  the  most 
high  God.  Hence  we  must  fall  back  on  the  covenant  made  with 
Noah,  —  the  representative  of  the  whole  race  after  the  deluge,  —  as  the 
broad  basis  of  authority  on  which  Melkizedec  acted.  That  covenant, 
then,  was  not  a  dead  letter.  It  still  lived  in  the  heart  and  will  of  a 
part  of  the  nations.  Its  hallowing  and  exalting  truths  had  produced 
at  least  one  centre  of  pure  and  spiritual  worship  on  the  earth.  Even 
Abram,  the  called  of  God,  acknowledges  its  constituted  head.  And 
the  most  high  God,  Founder  and  Upholder  of  heaven  and  earth, 
thereby  guarantees  its  validity  for  all  who  in  every  place  call  on  liis 
name  in  sincerity  and  truth.  And  his  special  call  to  Abram  is  given 
with  a  view  to  the  final  removal  of  all.  obstacles  to  the  acceptance  and 
application  of  this  his  everlasting  covenant.  We  are  thankful  for  this 
glimpse  into  the  comprehensive  grandeur  of  the  divine  purpose  con- 
cerning man,  which  is  for  some  time  forward  cast  into  the  shade,  until 
it  begins  to  break  forth  again  in  the  anticipations  of  the  prophets,  and 
at  length  shines  forth  with  imperishable  splendor  in  the  revelations  of 
the  New  Testament. 

The  genealogy  of  Melkizedec  seems  designedly  veiled  in  impene- 
trable obscurity.  To  lift  this  veil  entirely  is  therefore  hopeless.  Yet 
we  may  venture  to  hint  the  possibility  that  here  we  have  another 
Shemite  chieftain  in  the  land  of  Kenaan.  The  indefinite  statement  of 
Josephus,  that  he  was  a  potentate  of  ihe  Kenaanites,  is  no  proof  to  the 
contrary,  even  if  it  were  of  much  value.  The  address  of  Ezckiel  to 
Jerusalem :  "  Thy  origin  and  thy  birth  are  of  the  land  of  Kenaan  ;  thy 
father  was  an  Amoritc,  and  thy  mother  a  Ilittite  "  (xvi.  3),  may  refer 
to  the  period  immediately  before  the  entrance  of  Israel  into  the  land. 
At  and  after  that  time  the  Amorite  and  the  Jebusite  seem  to  have 
been  in  ^wssession  of  the  city  (Jos.  x,  5;  Judg.  i.  21).     But  in  the 


GEN.  XIV.  291 

time  of  Abram,  more  than  four  hundred  yeai's  before,  it  may  have 
been  different.  We  have  discovered  other  tribes  in  this  land  that 
were  not  of  the  race  of  Kenaan.  It  is  not  likely  that  Kenaan  would 
furnish  a  priest  of  the  most  high  God.  It  is  evident  that  Melkizedec 
was  not  in  the  confederacy  of  the  Pentapolis  with  the  king  of  Sodom. 
He  comes  out  separately  and  suddenly  to  meet  Abram,  who  was  one 
of  "  the  children  of  Heber,"  of  whom  Shem  was  the  father.  And  he 
is  the  acknowledged  head  of  the  worshippers  of  the  most  high  God, 
who  is  "the  Lord,  the  God  of  Shem."  But  be  this  as  it  may,  it  is  only 
a  secondary  question  here.  The  matter  of  primary  importance,  as  has 
been  already  noted,  is  the  existence  of  a  community  of  pure  worship- 
pers of  the  true  God  in  the  land  of  Kenaan,  antecedent  to  Abram. 
If  this  community  be  descendants  of  Kenaan,  it  only  renders  the  dis- 
covery the  more  striking  and  impressive.  The  knowledge  of  the  true 
God,  the  confession  of  the  one  everlasting  supreme  Creator  of  heaven 
and  earth,  the  existence  of  a  stated  form  of  worship  by  means  of  a 
priest  and  a  ritual  attested  by  Abram  the  elect  of  God,  in  a  community 
belonging  to  the  Gentiles,  form  at  once  a  remarkable  vindication  of  the 
justice  and  mercy  of  God  in  having  made  known  to  all  mankind  the 
mode  of  acceptable  approach  to  himself,  and  a  singular  evidence  that 
such  a  revelation  had  been  made  to  Noah,  from  whom  alone  it  could 
have  descended  to  the  whole  race,  and  consequently  to  this  particular 
branch  of  it.  "We  have  reason  to  believe  that  this  was  not  the  sole 
line  in  which  this  precious  tradition  was  still  preserved  in  comparative 
purity  and  power.  Job  and  his  companions  belong  to  one  other  known 
line  in  which  the  knowledge  of  the  one  God  was  still  vital.  The  fun- 
damental principles  of  divine  truth  planted  in  the  human  breast  by  this 
and  antecedent  revelations  were  never  afterwards  wholly  eradicated ; 
and  from  the  hereditary  germs  of  a  primitive  theology,  cherished  by 
intercourse  with  the  Sidonians  and  other  Phoenicians,  were  Homer, 
Socrates,  Plato,  Aristotle,  and  other  sages  of  the  East  and  West,  enabled 
to  rise  to  the  exalted  conceptions  which  they  occasionally  formed  of 
the  unity,  purity,  spirituality,  and  supremacy  of  the  Divine  Being. 
The  idea  of  God,  conveyed  into  a  soul  of  any  power  and  freedom,  is 
wonderfully  prolific.  It  bursts  the  bonds  of  the  animal  nature,  and 
expands  and  elevates  the  rational  to  some  shadowy  semblance  of  its 
primeval  glory.  Where  it  has  become  altogether  extinct,  the  human 
has  sunk  down  under  the  debasing  bondage  of  the  brutal.  During  the 
four  centui'ies  that  elapsed  from  the  arrival  of  Abram  to  the  conquest  of 
the  country  by  his  descendants,  this  interesting  relic  of  a  pure  Gentile 


292  ABRAM  RESCUES  LOT. 

worship  seems  to  have  disappeared.  But  the  traces  of  such  a  purify- 
ing and  elevating  knowledge  of  God  were  not  even  then  effaced  from 
the  memories,  the  customs,  and  the  phrases  of  the  people. 

21-24.  The  king  of  Sodom  concedes  to  Abram,  according  to  custom, 
the  spoils  of  conquest  as  his  right,  and  claims  for  himself  only  his  sub- 
jects who  had  been  rescued  from  the  foe.  Abi-am  however  declines 
any  personal  advantage  from  the  enterprise,  or  material  recompense 
for  his  services.  To  this  he  was  led  partly  by  the  present  disposition 
of  his  mind,  in  vv'hicli  the  spiritual  prevailed  over  the  carnal,  and  partly 
by  the  character  of  him  with  whom  he  had  to  deal ;  as  the  Sodomites 
wei-e  notorious  for  their  wickedness.  On  other  occasions  he  accepted 
unmerited  gifts  (Gen.  xii.  16,  xx.  14,  16).  On  the  present  occasion 
he  no  doubt  felt  himself  amply  rewarded  by  the  recovery  of  his 
kinsman,  and  the  blessing  of  Melkizedec.  Disinterestedness  has  had 
another  victory  in  Abram.  And  accordingly  the  minister  of  God  meets 
him  on  the  field  of  a  common  humanity,  and  pronounces  on  him  a 
blessing.  The  unselfish,  unsectarian  heart  of  the  heir  of  special  prom- 
ise, bows  in  acknowledgment  of  the  representative  of  the  universal  and 
anterior  covenant  of  God  with  Noah. 

22.  I  have  lifted  up  my  hand.  This  is  a  serious  matter  with  Abram. 
Either  before,  or  then  and  there,  he  made  an  oath  or  solemn  assev- 
eration before  God,  with  uplifted  hand,  that  he  would  not  touch  the 
property  of  Sodom.  He  must  have  felt  there  was  danger  of  moral 
contamination  in  coming  into  any  political  relationship  with  the  cities 
of  the  vale.  The  Lord,  the  most  high  God,  the  Founder  of  heaven  and 
earth.  In  this  conjunction  of  names  Abram  solemnly  and  expressly 
identifies  the  God  of  himself  and  of  Melkizedec  in  the  presence  of  the 
king  of  Sodom.  The  most  high  God  of  Melkizedec  is  the  God  of 
th.e  first  chapter  of  Genesis,  and  the  Jehovah  of  Adam,  Noah,  and 
Abram. 

24.  While  Abram  refrains  from  accepting  any  part  of  the  spoils 
beyond  what  had  been  consumed  in  supplying  the  necessities  of  his  fol- 
lowers in  the  expedition,  he  expressly  excepts  the  portion  to  which  his 
confederates,  Aner,  Eshcol,  and  Mamre,  became  entitled  by  their  share 
in  the  recovery  of  the  property.  This  is  sufficient  to  prove  that  the 
transaction  regarding  the  spoil  was  not  an  offer  of  generosity  on  the 
part  of  the  king  of  Sodom,  but  an  act  of  disinterestedness  on  the  part 
of  Abram. 


GEN.  XV.  293 


XLI.    THE  FAITH  OF  ABRAM.  — Gen.  xv, 

1.  "131  a  \o6rd,  a  thing  ;  the  word  being  the  sign  of  the  thmg. 

2.  "^dSx  Adonai,  the  Lord;  r.  bring  doion,  lay  doxon.  This  is  the 
name  usually  read  in  place  of  Jehovah ;  but  when  as  in  the  present 
case  Jehovah  and  Adonai  are  in  apposition,  Elohim  is  read  instead  of 
the  former.  The  Jews  from  a  feeling  of  reverence  avoided  the  utter- 
ance of  this  sacred  name  except  on  the  most  solemn  occasions.  This 
is  said  to  have  arisen  from  a  stringent  interpretation  of  Lev.  xxiv.  16. 
According  to  some,  this  name  was  pronounced  only  once  a  year  by  the 
high  priest,  on  the  day  of  atonement,  in  the  Holy  of  Holies,  and  accord- 
ing to  others  only  in  the  solemn  benedictions  pronounced  by  the  priests. 
At  an  earlier  period,  however,  the  name  must  have  been  freely  used 
by  the  people,  as  it  enters  into  the  composition  of  proper  names. 
Adon  in  the  singidar  and  plural  is  used  as  a  common  name,  pdo 
possession,  pdia— )3  possessor.  This  forms  a  paronomasia  with  p^Hl, 
which  is  for  "^piaai.     "iTS^'^lpx  Eliezer,  God  of  help,  or  mighty  to  help. 

10.  "^rp  Kenite,  patronymic  of  "j-^p  Kain.  iJrsp  Kenizzite,  patr.  of 
?3p  Kenaz,  hunter,     '^ib'ij?  Kadmonite,  eastern,  old. 

XV.  1.  After  these  things  came  the  word  of  the  Lord  unto 
Abram  in  a  vision  ;  saying,  Fear  not,  Abram  :  I  am  thy  shield, 
thy  exceeding  great  reward.  2.  And  Abram  said,  Lord  Jeho- 
vah, what  wilt  thou  give  me,  seeing  I  go  childless,  and  the 
possessor  of  my  house  is  Eliezer  of  Damascus  ?  3.  And  Abram 
said,  Behold,  to  me  thou  hast  given  no  seed ;  and,  behold,  a 
son  of  my  house  is  mine  heir.  4.  And,  behold,  the  word  of 
the  Lord  came  unto  him,  saying,  This  shall  not  be  thine  heir ; 
but  he  that  shall  come  out  of  thine  own  bowels  shall  be  thine 
heir.  5.  And  he  brought  him  forth  abroad  and  said,  Look 
now  towards  heaven,  and  tell  the  stars,  if  thou  be  able  to  tell 
them.  And  he  said  unto  him,  So  shall  thy  seed  be.  6.  And 
he  believed  in  the  Lord  ;  and  he  counted  to  him  for  righteous- 
ness. 

7.  And  he  said  unto  him,  I  am  the  Lord,  that  brought  thee 
out  of  Ur  of  the  Kasdim,  to  give  thee  this  land  to  possess  it. 


294  THE  FAITH  OF  ABRAM. 

8.  And  he  said,  Lord  Jehovah,  whereby  shall  I  know  that  I 
shall  possess  it?  9.  And  he  said  unto  him,  Take  me  a  heifer 
three  years  old,  and  a  she-goat  three  years  old,  and  a  ram 
three  years  old,  and  a  turtle  dove,  and  a  young  pigeon.  10. 
And  he  took  him  all  these,  and  divided  them  in  the  midst,  and 
laid  each  piece  one  against  another  ;  but  the  birds  divided  hej 
not.  11.  And  the  birds  of  prey  came  down  upon  the  carcasses, 
and  Abram  drove  them  away.  12.  And  the  sun  was  about  to 
set,  and  a  trance  fell  upon  Abram ;  and,  lo,  a  horror,  a  great 
darkness,  fell  upon  him.  13.  And  he  said  unto  Abram,  Know, 
know  thou,  that  thy  seed  shall  be  strangers  in  a  land  that  is 
not  theirs,  and  shall  serve  them,  and  they  shall  afflict  them 
four  hundred  years.  14.  And  also  the  nation  whom  they  shall 
serve  will  I  judge  ;  and  afterward  shall  they  come  out  with 
great  wealth.  15.  And  thou  shalt  go  to  thy  fathers  in  peace  ; 
thou  shalt  be  buried  in  a  happy  old  age.  16.  And  in  the 
fourth  age  shall  they  return  hither  ;  for  the  iniquity  of  the 
Amorite  is  not  yet  full.  17.  And  the  sun  went  down,  and 
deep  darkness  was  come  on,  and,  behold,  a  smoking  oven  and 
a  burning  lamp  that  passed  between  those  pieces. 

18.  In  that  day  the  Lord  made  a  covenant  with  Abram, 
saying.  Unto  thy  seed  have  I  given  this  land,  from  the  river 
of  Mizraim  unto  the  great  river,  the  river  Phrat :  19.  The 
Kenite  and  Kenizzite  and  the  Kadmonite,  20.  And  the 
Hittite  and  the  Perizzite  and  the  Eephaim,  21.  And  the 
Amorite  and  the  Kenaanite  and  the  Girgashite  and  the 
Jebusite.  §  28. 

The  events  recorded  in  the  preceding  chapter  manifest  the  sway 
of  the  new  nature  in  Abram,  and  meet  the  approval  of  the  Lord. 
This  approval  is  exhibited  in  a  heavenly  visit  to  the  patriarch,  in 
which  the  Lord  solemnly  reiterates  the  promise  of  the  seed  and  the 
land.  Abram  believes  in  the  Lord,  who  thereupon  enters  into  cove- 
nant with  him. 

1-6.  After  these  things,  —  the  victory,  the  blessing,  and  the  self-denial 
recorded  in  the  previous  chapter.     TJie  word  of  the  Lord,  manifesting 


GEN.  XV.  295 

himself  bj  speech  to  nis  servant.  In  the  vision  the  intelligent  observer 
passes  from  the  merely  sensible  to  the  supersensible  sphere  of  reality. 
Fear  not,  Abram.  The  patriarch  had  some  reason  to  fear.  The  for- 
midable allies  had  indeed  been  discomfited,  and  the  fruits  of  their 
marauding  enterprise  wrested  from  them.  But  they  might  resume 
their  purpose,  and  I'eturn  with  an  overwhelming  force.  And  Abram 
was  stiU  a  stranger  in  a  foreign  land,  preoccupied  by  tribes  of  another 
race,  who  would  combine  against  him  as  soon  as  they  suspected  him 
of  being  an  intruder.  But  the  Lord  had  stood  by  him  and  given  him 
the  victory,  and  now  speaks  to  him  in  the  language  of  encouragement. 
I  am  thy  shield,  thy  exceeding  great  reward.  The  word  /is  separately 
expressed,  and,  therefore,  emphatic  in  the  original.  I,  Jehovah,  the 
Self-existent,  the  Author  of  existence,  the  Performer  of  promise,  the 
Manifester  of  myself  to  man,  and  not  any  creature  however  exalted. 
Tiiis  Avas  something  beyond  a  seed,  or  a  land,  or  any  temporal  thing. 
The  Creator  infinitely  transcends  the  creature.  The  mind  of  Abram 
is  here  lifted  up  to  the  spiritual  and  the  eternal.  1.  Thy  shield. 
2.  Thy  exceeding  great  reward,  Abi'ara  has  two  fears,  —  the  presence 
of  evil,  and  the  absence  of  good.  Experience  and  conscience  had  begun 
to  teach  him  that  both  of  these  were  justly  his  doom.  But  Jehovah 
has  chosen  him,  and  here  engages  himself  to  stand  between  him  and 
all  harm,  and  himself  to  be  to  him  all  good.  With  such  a  sliield  from 
all  evil,  and  such  a  source  of  all  good,  he  need  not  be  afraid.  The 
Lord,  we  see,  begins,  as  usual,  with  the  immediate  and  the  tangible ; 
but  he  propounds  a  principle  that  reaches  to  the  eternal  and  the  spirit- 
ual. We  have  here  the  opening  germ  of.  the  great  docti'ine  of  "  the 
Lord  onr  righteousness,"  redeeming  us  on  the  one  hand  from  the  sen- 
tence of  death,  and  on  the  other  to  a  title  to  eternal  life. 

2,  3.  Notwithstanding  the  unbounded  grandeur  and  preciousness  of 
the  promise,  or  rather  assurance,  now  given,  Abram  is  still  childless 
and  landless ;  and  the  Lord  has  made  as  yet  no  sign  of  action  in  re- 
gard to  these  objects  of  special  promise.  Lord  Jehovah.  The  name 
Adonai  is  here  for  the  first  time  used  in  the  divine  recoi\ls.  It  denotes 
one  who  has  authority ;  and,  therefore,  when  applied  to  God,  the 
Supreme  Lord.  Abram  hereby  acknowledges  Jehovah  as  Supreme 
Judge  and  Governor,  and  therefore  entitled  to  dispose  of  all  matters 
concerning  his  present  or  prospective  welfare.  What  wilt  thou  give 
me  ?  Of  what  use  will  land  or  wealth  be  to  me,  the  immediate  reward 
specified  by  the  promise  ?  Ehezer  of  Damascus  is  master  of  my  house. 
To  me  thou  hast  given  no  seed.     This  was  the  present  shield  mentioned 


296  THE  FAITH  OF  ABEAM. 

also  in  former  words  of  promise.  There  is  something  strikingly  human 
in  all  this.  Abram  is  no  enthusiast  or  fanatic.  He  fastens  on  the 
substantive  blessings  which  the  Lord  had  expressly  named. 

4,  5.  The  Lord  reiterates  the  promise  concerning  the  seed.  As  he 
had  commanded  him  to  view  the  land,  and  see  in  its  dust  the  emblem 
of  the  multitude  that  would  spring  from  him,  so  now,  with  a  sublime 
simplicity  of  practical  illustration,  he  brings  him  forth  to  contemplate 
the  stars,  and  challenges  him  to  tell  their  number,  if  he  can ;  adding, 
So  shall  thy  seed  he.  He  that  made  all  these  out  of  nothing,  by  the 
word  of  his  power,  is  able  to  fulfil  his  promise,  and  multiply  the  seed 
of  Abram  and  Sarai.  Here,  we  perceive,  the  vision  does  not  interfere 
with  the  notice  of  the  sensible  world,  so  far  as  is  necessary  (Dan.  x.  7 ; 
John  xii.  29). 

6.  And  Abram  believed  in  the  Lord.  Thus,  at  length,  after  many 
throes  of  labor,  has  come  to  the  birth  in  the  breast  of  Abram  faith  in 
Jehovah,  on  his  simple  promise  in  the  absence  of  all  present  perform- 
ance, and  in  the  face  of  all  sensible  hinderance.  The  command  to  go 
to  the  land  which  the  Lord  would  show  him,  accompanied  with  the 
promise  to  make  of  him  a  great  nation,  had  awakened  in  him  a  certain 
expectation ;  which,  however,  waited  for  some  performance  to  ripen  it 
into  faith.  But  waiting  in  a  state  of  suspense  is  not  faith,  but  doubt ; 
and  faith  after  performance  is  not  faith,  but  sight.  The  second  and 
third  renewal  of  the  promise,  while  performance  was  still  unseen  in 
the  distance,  was  calculated  to  slay  the  expectancy  that  still  paused 
for  realization,  to  give  it  the  vitality  of  a  settled  cons(:nt  and  acquies- 
cence in  the  faithfulness  of  God,  and  mature  it  into  conviction  and 
confession. 

"What  was  there  now,  then,  to  call  forth  Abram's  faith  more  than  at 
the  first  promise  ?  There  was  the  reiteration  of  the  promise.  There 
was  the  withholding  of  the  performance,  leaving  room  for  the  exercise 
of  pure  faith.  There  was  time  to  train  the  mind  to  this  unwonted  idea 
and  determination.  And,  lastly,  there  was  the  sublime  assurance  con- 
veyed in  the  sentence,  "  /  am  thy  shield,  thy  exceeding  great  re- 
ward," transcending  all  the  limits  of  time  and  place,  comprehending 
alike  the  present  and  the  eternal,  the  earthly  and  the  heavenly.  This, 
coupled  with  all  the  recorded  and  unrecorded  dealings  of  the  Lord, 
leads  him  to  conceive  the  nobler  feeling  of  faith  in  the  Promiser,  an- 
tecedent to  any  part  of  the  execution,  any  unfolding  of  the  plan,  or 
any  removal  of  the  obvious  difiiculty.  The  moment  of  deliverance 
draws  nigh,  when  Abram  at  length  ventures  to  open  his  mouth  and 


GEN.  XV.  .  297 

lay  bare,  in  articulate  utterance,  the  utmost  questionings  of  his  soul 
before  the  Loi'd.  And  then,  in  due  time,  is  effected  the  birth  of  faith ; 
not  by  commencing  the  accomplishment  of  the  promise,  but  by  the 
explicit  reassertion  of  its  several  parts,  in  the  light  of  that  grand  as- 
surance which  covers  it  in  its  narrowest  and  in  its  most  expanded 
forms.  Thus  faith  springs  solely  from  the  seed  of  promise.  And  from 
that  moment  there  stands  up  and  grows  within  the  breast  of  man  the 
right  frame  of  mind  towards  the  God  of  mercy,  —  the  germ  of  a  mutual 
good  understanding  between  God  and  man  which  will  spread  its  roots 
and  branches  through  the  whole  soul,  to  the  exclusion  of  every  noxious 
plant,  and  blossom  forth  unto  the  blessed  fruit  of  all  holy  feelings  and 
doings. 

Andke  counted  it  to  him  for  rigJdeousness.  1st.  From  this  confessedly 
weighty  sentence  we  learn,  implicitly,  that  Abram  had  no  righteous- 
ness. And  if  he  had  not,  no  man  had.  "We  have  seen  enough  of 
Abram  to  know  this  on  other  grounds.  And  here  the  universal  fact 
of  man's  depravity  comes  out  into  incidental  notice,  as  a  thing  usually 
taken  for  granted,  in  the  words  of  God.  2d.  Righteousness  is  here 
imputed  to  Abram.  Hence  mercy  and  grace  are  extended  to  him; 
mercy  taking  effect  in  the  pardon  of  his  sin,  and  grace  in  bestowing 
the  rewards  of  righteousness.  3d.  That  in  him  which  is  counted  for 
righteousness  is  faith  in  Jehovah  promising  mercy.  In  the  absence  of 
righteousness,  this  is  the  only  thing  in  the  sinner  that  can  be  counted 
for  righteousness.  First,  it  is  not  of  the  nature  of  righteousness.  If 
it  were  actual  righteousness,  it  could  not  be  counted  as  such.  But 
believing  God,  who  promises  blessing  to  the  undeserving,  is  essentially 
different  from  obeying  God,  who  guarantees  blessing  to  the  deserving. 
Hence  it  has  a  negative  fitness  to  be  counted  for  what  it  is  not.  Sec- 
ondly, it  is  trust  in  him  who  engages  to  bless  in  a  holy  and  lawful  way. 
Hence  it  is  that  in  the  sinner  which  brings  him  into  conformity  with 
the  law  through  another  who  undertakes  to  satisfy  its  demands  and 
secure  its  rewards  for  him.  Thus  it  is  the  only  thing  in  the  sinner 
which,  while  it  is  not  righteousness,  has  yet  a  claim  to  be  counted  for 
such,  because  it  brings  him  into  union  with  one  who  is  just  and  having 
salvation. 

It  is  not  material  what  the  Almighty  and  All-gracious  promises  in 
the  first  instance  to  him  that  believes  in  him,  whether  it  be  a  land,  or 
a  seed,  or  any  other  blessing.  All  other  blessing,  temporal  or  eternal, 
will  flov^  out  of  that  express  one,  in  a  perpetual  course  of  development, 
as  the  believer  advances  in  experience,  in  compass  of  intellect,  and 
38 


298  THE  FAITH  OF  AEKAM. 

capacity  of  enjoyment.  Hence  it  is  that  a  land  involves  a  better  land, 
a  seed  a  nobler  seed,  a  temporal  an  eternal  good.  The  patriarchs 
were  children  to  us  in  the  compi-ehension  of  the  love  of  God :  we  are 
children  to  those  who  will  hereafter  experience  still  grander  manifesta- 
tions of  what  God  has  prepared  for  them  that  love  him.  The  shield 
and  exceeding  great  reward  await  a  yet  inconceivable  enlargement  of 
meaning. 

7-21.  The  Lord  next  confirms  and  explains  the  promise  of  the  land 
to  Abram.  When  God  announces  himself  as  Jehovah,  who  purposed 
to  give  him  the  land,  Abram  asks,  "Whereby  sliall  I  know  that  I  shall 
possess  it  ?  He  appears  to  expect  some  intimation  as  to  the  time  and 
mode  of  entering  upon  possession.  9,  10.  The  Lord  now  directs  him 
to  make  ready  the  things  requisite  for  entering  into  a  formal  covenant 
regarding  the  land.  These  include  all  the  kinds  of  animals  afterwards 
used  in  sacrifice.  The  number  three  is  sacred,  and  denotes  the  perfec- 
tion of  the  victim  in  point  of  maturity.  The  division  of  the  animals 
refers  to  the  covenant  between  two"  parties,  who  participate  in  the 
rights  which  it  guarantees.  The  birds  are  two  without  being  divided. 
11.  Abram  drove  them  away.  As  the  animals  slain  and  divided  rep- 
resent the  only  mean  and  way  through  which  the  two  parties  can  meet 
in  a  covenant  of  peace,  they  must  be  preserved  pure  and  unmutilated 
for  the  end  they  have  to  serve. 

12-17.  And  the  sun  was  about  to  set.  This  visit  of  the  Lord  to 
Abram  continues  for  two  nights,  with  tlie  intervening  d:iy.  In  the 
foi-mer  night  he  led  him  forth  to  view  the  stars  (v.  5).  The  second 
night  sets  in  with  the  consummation  of  the  covenant  (v.  17).  The 
revelation  comes  to  Abram  in  a  trance  of  deep  sleep.  The  Lord 
releases  the  mind  from  attention  to  the  communications  of  sense  in 
order  to  engage  it  with  higher  tilings.  And  he  who  makes  the  loftier 
revelation  can  enable  the  recipient  to  distinguish  the  voice  of  heaven 
from  the  play  of  fancy. 

13-15.  Know,  hnoxo  thou.  Know  certainly.  This  responds  to 
Abram's  question,  Whereby  shall  I  know  ?  (v.  8).  Four  hundred  years 
are  to  elapse  before  the  seed  of  Abram  shall  actually  proceed  to  take 
possession  of  the  land.  This  interval  can  only  commence  when  the 
seed  is  born  ;  that  is,  at  the  birth  of  Isaac,  when  Abram  was  a  hundred 
years  of  age,  and  therefore  thirty  years  after  the  call.  Dui'ing  this 
interval  they  are  to  be,  first,  strangers  in  a  land  not  theirs  for  one 
hundred  and  ninety  years ;  and  then  for  the  remaining  two  hundred 
and  ten  year,?  in  Eg}'pl :  at  first,  servants,  with  considerable  privilege 


GEK  XV.  299 

and  position  ;  and  at  last,  afflicted  serfs,  under  a  hard  and  cruel  bondage. 
14.  At  the  end  of  this  period  Pharoh  and  his  nation  were  visited  with 
a  succession  of  tremendous  judgments,  and  Israel  went  out  free  from 
bondage  with  great  wealth  (Ex.  xii.-xiv.).  15.  Go  to  thy  fathers. 
This  implies  that  the  fathers,  though  dead,  still  exist.  To  go  from  one 
place  to  another  implies,  not  annihilation,  but  the  continuance  of  exist- 
ence. The  doctrine  of  the  soul's  perpetual  existence  is  here  intimated. 
Abram  died  in  peace  and  happiness,  one  hundred  and  fifteen  years 
before  the  descent  into  Egypt. 

16.  In  the  fourth  age.  An  age  here  means  the  average  period  from 
the  birth  to  the  death  of  one  man.  This  use  of  the  word  is  proved  by 
Numb,  xxxii.  13, — "  He  made  them  wander  in  the  wilderness  forty 
years,  until  all  the  generation  that  had  done  evil  in  the  sight  of  the 
Lord  was  consumed."  This  age  or  generation  ran  parallel  with  the 
life  of  Moses,  and  therefore  consisted  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  years. 
Joseph  lived  one  hundred  and  ten  years.  Four  such  generations 
amount  to  four  hundred  and  eighty  or  four  hundred  and  forty  years. 
From  the  birth  of  Isaac  to  the  return  to  the  land  of  promise  was  an 
interval  of  four  hundred  and  forty  years.  Isaac,  Levi,  Amram,  and 
Eleazar  may  represent  the  four  ages. 

For  the  iniquity  of  the  Amorite  is  not  yet  full.  From  this  simple 
sentence  we  have  much  to  learn.  1st.  The  Lord  foreknows  the  moral 
character  of  men.  2d.  In  his  providence  he  administers  the  affairs 
of  nations  on  the  principle  of  moral  rectitude.  3d.  Nations  ai-e  spared 
until  their  iniquity  is  full.  4th.  They  are  then  cut  off  in  retributive 
justice.  5th.  The  Amorite  was  to  be  the  chief  nation  extirpated  for 
its  iniquity  on  the  return  of  the  seed  of  Abram.  Accordingly  we  find 
the  Amorites  occupying  by  conquest  the  country  east  of  the  Jordan, 
from  the  Arnon  to  Mount  Ilermou,  under  their  two  kings  Sihozi  and  Og 
(Num.  xxi.  21-35).  On  the  west  of  Jordan  we  have  already  met 
them  at  En-gedi  and  Hebron,  and  they  dwelt  in  the  mountains  of  Judah 
and  Ephraim  (Num.  xiii.  29),  whence  they  seem  to  have  crossed  the 
Jordan  for  conquest  (Num.  xxi.  26).  Thus  had  they  of  all  the  tribes 
that  overspread  the  land  by  far  the  largest  extent  of  territory.  And 
they  seem  to  have  been  extinguished  as  a  nation  by  the  invasion  of 
Israel,  as  we  hear  no  more  of  them  in  the  subsequent  history  of  the 
country. 

17.  And  the  sun  went  down.  Tlie  light  of  day  is  gone.  The  cove- 
nant is  now  formally  concluded.  Abram  had  risen  to  the  height  of 
faith  in  the  God  of  |)rouiise.     He  is  come  into  the  position  of  the 


300  THE  FAITPI  OF  ABRAM. 

father  of  the  faithful.  He  is  therefore  qualified  for  entering  into  this 
solemn  compact.  This  covenant  has  a  peculiarity  which  distinguishes 
it  from  that  with  Noah.  It  refers  to  a  patriarch  and  his  seed  chosen 
out  of  a  coexisting  race.  It  is  not,  however,  subversive  of  the  ancient 
and  general  covenant,  but  only  a  special  measure  for  overcoming  the 
legal  and  moral  difRculties  in  the  way,  and  ultimately  bringing  its 
comprehensive  provisions  into  effect.  It  refers  to  the  land  of  promise, 
which  is  not  only  a  reality,  but  a  type  and  an  earnest  of  all  analogous 
blessings. 

The  oven  of  smoke  and  lamp  of  flame  symbolize  the  smoke  of 
destruction  and  the  light  of  salvation.  Their  passing  through  the 
pieces  of  the  victims  and  probably  consuming  them  as  an  accepted 
sacrifice  are  the  ratification  of  the  covenant  on  the  part  of  God,  as  the 
dividing  and  presenting  of  them  were  on  the  part  of  Abram.  The 
propitiatory  foundation  of  the  covenant  here  comes  into  view,  and 
connects  Abram  with  Habel  and  Noah,  the  primeval  confessors  of  the 
necessity  of  an  atonement. 

18-21.  In  that  instant  the  covenant  was  solemnly  completed.  Its 
primary  form  of  benefit  is  the  grant  of  the  promised  land  with  the  ex- 
tensive boundaries  of  the  river  of  Egypt  and  the  Euphrates.  The 
former  seems  to  be  the  Nile  with  its  banks  which  constitute  Egypt,  as 
the  Phrat  with  its  banks  describes  the  land  of  the  East,  with  which 
countries  the  promised  land  was  conterminous. 

19-21.  The  ten  principal  nations  inhabiting  this  area  are  here  enu- 
merated. Of  these  five  are  Kenaanite,  and  the  other  five  probably 
not.  The  first  three  are  new  to  us,  and  seem  to  occupy  the  extremities 
of  the  region  here  defined.  The  Kenite  dwelt  in  the  country  border- 
ing on  Egypt  and  south  of  Palestine,  in  which  the  Amalekites  also  are 
found  (Num.  xxiA-.  20-22 ;  1  Sam.  xv.  6).  They  dwelt  among  the 
Midianites,  as  Hobab  was  both  a  Midianite  and  a  Kenite  (Num.  x, 
29  ;  Judg.  i.  16,  iv.  11).  They  were  friendly  to  the  Israelites,  and 
hence  some  of  them  followed  their  fortunes  and  settled  in  their  land 
(1  Chr.  ii.  55).  The  Kenizzite  dwelt  apparently  in  the  same  region, 
having  affinity  with  the  Ilorites,  and  subsequently  with  Edom  and 
Israel  (Gen.  xxxvi.  11,  20-23;  Jos.  xv.  17;  1  Chr.  ii,  50-52).  The 
Kadmonite  seems  to  be  the  Eastern,  and,  therefore,  to  hold  the  other 
extreme  boundary  of  the  promised  land,  towards  Tadmor  and  the  Phrat. 
These  three  tribes  were  probably  related  to  Abram,  and,  therefore, 
descendants  of  Shem.  The  other  seven  tribes  have  already  come 
under  our  notice. 


GEN.  XVI.  301 


XLir.    THE  BIRTH  OF  ISHMAEL.  —  Gen.  xvi. 

1.  ^jri  Hagar,  Jlight.     Hejrah,  tlie  flight  of  Maliomet. 

7.  T(^^?  messenger,  angel.  A  deputy  commissioned  to  discharge  a 
certain  duty  for  the  principal  whom  he  represents.  As  the  most  usual 
task  is  that  of  bearing  messages,  commands,  or  tidings,  he  is  commonly 
called  a  messenger  (ayyeAos).  The  word  is  therefore  a  term  of  office, 
and  does  not  further  distinguish  the  office-bearer  than  as  an  intelligent 
being.  Hence  a  malak  may  be  a  man  deputed  by  a  man  ( Gen.  xxxii. 
3  ;  Job  i.  14),  or  by  God  (Hag.  i.  13  ;  Mai.  iii.  1),  or  a  superhuman 
being  delegated  in  this  case  only  by  God.  The  English  term  angel  is 
now  specially  appropriated  to  the  latter  class  of  messengers. 

1st.  The  nature  of  angels  is  spiritual  (Heb.  i.  14).  This  character- 
istic ranges  over  the  whole  chain  of  spiritual  being  from  man  up  to 
God  himself.  The  extreme  links,  however,  are  excluded  :  man,  be- 
cause he  is  a  special  class  of  intelligent  creatures ;  and  God,  because 
he  is  supreme.  Other  classes  of  spiritual  beings  may  be  excluded,  —  as 
the  cherubim,  the  seraphim,  —  because  they  have  not  the  same  office, 
though  the  word  angelic  is  sometimes  used  by  us  as  synonymous  with 
heavenly  or  spu-itual.  They  were  all  of  course  oiiginaily  good ;  but 
some  of  them  have  fallen  from  holiness,  and  become  evil  spirits  or 
devils  (Matt.  xxv.  31,  41 ;  Jude  vi. ;  Rev.  xii.  7).  The  latter  are  cir- 
cumscribed in  their  sphere  of  action,  as  if  confined  within  the  wails  of 
their  prison,  in  consequence  of  their  fallen  state  and  malignant  disposi- 
tion (Gen.  iii. ;  Job  i.  2 ;  1  Peter  ii.  4 ;  Eev.  xx.  2).  Being  spiritual, 
they  are  not  only  moral,  but  intelligent.  They  also  excel  in  strength 
(Ps.  ciii.  20).  The  holy  angels  have  the  full  range  of  action  for  which 
their  qualities  ai-e  adapted.  They  can  assume  a  real  form,  expressive 
of  their  present  functions,  and  affecting  the  senses  of  sight,  hearing, 
and  touch,  or  the  roots  of  those  senses  in  the  soul.  They  may  even 
perform  innocent  functions  of  a  human  body,  such  as  eating  (Gen. 
xviii.  8,  xix.  3).  Being  spirits,  they  can  resolve  the  material  food 
into  its  original  elements  in  a  way  which  we  need  not  attempt  to  con- 
ceive or  describe.  But  this  case  of  eatmg  stands  altogether  alone. 
Angels  have  no  distinction  of  sex  (Matt.  xxii.  30).  They  do  not  grow 
old  or  die.  They  are  not  a  race,  and  have  not  a  body  in  the  ordinary 
sense  of  the  term. 

2d.  Their  office  is  expressed  by  their  name.  In  common  with  other 
intelligent  creatures,  they  take  part  in  the  worship  of  God  (Rev.  vii. 
11)  ;  but  their  special  office  is  to  execute  the  commands  of  God  in 


302  THE  BIRTH  OF  ISHRIAEL. 

the  natural  world  (Ps.  ciii.  20),  and  esjoecially  to  minister  to  the  heirs 
of  salvation  (Heb.  i.  14;  Matt,  xviii.  10  ;  Luke  sv.  10,  xvL  22).  It 
is  not  needful  here  to  enter  into  the  peculiarities  of  their  ministry. 

3d.  The  angel  of  Jehovah.  This  phrase  is  specially  employed  to 
denote  the  Lord  himself  in  that  form  in  Avhich  he  condescends  to  make 
himself  manifest  to  man ;  for  the  Lord  God  says  of  this  angel,  "  Be- 
ware of  him,  and  obey  his  voice  ;  provoke  him  not,  for  he  will  not 
pardon  your  transgressions ;  for  my  name  is  in  his  inmost "  (Ex.  xxiii. 
21 )  ;  that  is,  my  nature  is  in  his  essence.  Accordingly,  he  who  is  called 
the  angel  of  the  Lord  in  one  place  is  otherwise  denominated  the  Lord 
or  God  in  the  immediate  context  (Gen.  xvi.  7, 13,  xxii.  11,  12,  xxxi. 
11,  13,  xlviii.  15,  16;  Ex.  iii.  2-15,  xxiii.  20-23  with  xxxiii.  14, 
15).  It  is  remarkable,  at  the  same  time,  that  the  Lord  is  spoken  of  in 
these  cases  as  a  distinct  person  from  the  angel  of  the  Lord,  Avho  is  also 
called  the  Lord.  The  phraseology  intimates  to  us  a  certain  inherent 
plurality  within  the  essence  of  the  one  only  God,  of  which  we  have 
had  previous  indications  (Gen.  i.  26,  iii.  22).  The  phrase  angel  of 
the  Lord,  however,  indicates  a  more  distant  manifestation  to  man  than 
the  term  Lord  itself  It  brings  the  medium  of  communication  into 
greater  prominence.  It  seems  to  denote  some  person  of  the  Godhead 
in  angelic  form.  "iTii  Shur,  wall.  A  city  or  place  probably  near  the 
head  of  the  gulf  of  Suez.     The  desert  of  Shur  is  now  Jofar. 

11.  bsfl'S'^j-;  Jishm'ael,  the  Mighty  will  hear. 

13.  •'N^.  bx  God  of  vision  ov  seeing. 

14.  1X1  •'nb  "1N2  Beer-lachai-roi,  well  of  vision  to  the  living.  Tna 
Bered,  hail.     The  site  is  not  known. 

XVI.  1.  And  Sarai,  Abram's  wife,  bare  not  to  him  ;  and  she 
hacl  a  Mizrito  handmaid,  whose  name  was  Hagar.  2.  And  Sarai 
said  to  Abram,  Behold  now  the  Lord  liath  restrained  me  from 
bearing :  go  in  now  unto  my  maid ;  mayhap  I  shall  be  builded 
by  her.  And  Abrara  hearkened  to  the  voice  of  Sarai.  3. 
And  Sarai,  Abram's  wife,  took  Hagar  the  Mizrite,  her  maid, 
after  Abram  had  dwelt  ten  years  in  tlie  land  of  Keluxan,  and 
gave  her  to  Abrara,  her  husband,  to  be  his  wife.  4.  And  he 
went  in  unto  Hagar,  and  she  conceived ;  and  she  saw  that  she 
had  conceived,  and  her  mistress  was  despised  in  her  eyes.  5. 
Ai\iX  Sarai  said  unto  Abram,  My  wrong  be  upon  thee ;  1  mj^sclf 


GEN.  XVI.  303 

gave  my  maid  into  thy  bosom,  and  she  saw  that  she  had  con- 
ceived, and  I  was  despised  in  her  eyes  ;  the  Lokd  judge  between 
me  and  thee.  6.  And  Abram  said  unto  Sarai,  Behold,  thy 
maid  is  in  thy  hand :  do  to  her  that  which  is  good  in  thine 
eyes.     And  Sarai  humbled  her,  and  she  fled  from  her  face. 

7.  And  the  angel  of  tlie  Lord  found  her  by  a  spring  of  water 
in  the  wilderness,  by  the  spring  in  the  way  to  Shur.  8.  And 
he  said,  Hagar,  Sarai's  maid,  whence  art  thou  come,  and 
whither  goest  thou  ?  And  she  said,  From  the  face  of  Sarai, 
Sarai  my  mistress,  am  I  fleeing.  9.  And  the  angel  of  the 
Lord  said  unto  her,  Return  to  thy  mistress,  and  humble  thy- 
self under  her  hands.  10.  And  the  angel  of  the  Lord  said 
unto  her,  JMultiply,  multiply  will  I  thy  seed,  and  it  shall  not  be 
numbered  for  multitude.  11.  And  the  angel  of  the  Lord  said 
unto  her,  Behold,  thou  art  with  child,  and  shalt  bear  a  son ; 
and  thou  shalt  call  his  name  Ishmael,  because  the  Lord  hath 
heard  thy  humiliation.  12.  And  he  will  be  a  wild  man,  liis 
hand  against  every  man,  and  every  man's  hand  against  him ; 
and  in  the  presence  of  all  his  brethren  shall  he  dwell. 

13.  And  she  called  the  name  of  the  Lord  that  spake  unto 
her,  Thou  art  the  God  of  my  vision ;  for  she  said.  Have  I  even 
still  seen,  after  my  vision  ?  14.  Wherefore  the  well  is  called 
Beer-lahai-roi :  behold,  it  is  between  Kadesh  and  Bered.  15. 
And  Hagar  bare  Abram  a  son  ;  and  Abram  called  the  name 
of  his  son,  whom  Hagar  bare,  Ishmael.  16.  And  Abram  was 
the  son  of  eighty  and  six  years  when  Hagar  bare  Ishmael  to 
Abram.  ^  29. 

Sarah  has  been  bairen  pi'obably  mucli  more  than  twenty  years.  She 
appears  to  have  at  length  reluctantly  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  she 
would  never  be  a  mother.  Nature  and  history  prompted  the  union  of 
one  man  to  one  wife  in  marriage,  and  it  might  have  been  presumed 
that  God  would  honor  his  own  institution.  But  the  history  of  the  crea- 
tion of  man  was  forgotten  or  unheeded,  and  the  custom  of  the  East 
prompted  Sarai  to  resort  to  the  expedient  of  giving  her  maid  to  her 
husband  for  a  second  wife,  that  she  might  have  children  by  her. 


304  THE  BIRTH  OF  ISHMAEL. 

1— G.  A  Mizrite  handmaid.  Hagar  was  probably  obtained,  ten  years 
before,  during  their  sojourn  in  Egypt.  2.  Tlie  Lord  hath  restrained  me. 
It  was  natural  to  the  ancient  mind  to  recognize  the  power  and  will  of 
God  in  all  things.  I  shall  he  huilded  hy  her,  nsax,  built  as  the  founda- 
tion of  a  house,  by  the  addition  of  sons  or  daughters  (^52  or  ni33). 
She  thought  she  had  or  wished  to  have  a  share  in  the  promise,  if  not 
by  herself  personally,  yet  through  her  maid.  The  faith  of  Sarah  had 
not  yet  come  fully  to  the  birth.  Abram  yields  to  the  suggestion  of  his 
wife,  and  complies  with  the  custom  of  the  country.  3.  Ten  years  had 
elapsed  since  they  had  entered  the  land  they  were  to  inherit.^  Impa- 
tience at  the  long  delay  leads  to  an  invention  of  their  own  for  obtaining 
an  heir.  4-6.  The  contempt  of  her  maid  was  unjustifiable.  But  it 
was  the  natural  consequence  of  Sai-ai's  own  improper  and  imprudent 
step,  in  giving  her  to  her  husband  as  a  concubine.  Unwilling,  how- 
ever, to  see  in  herself  the  occasion  of  her  maid's  insolence,  she  transfers 
the  blame  to  her  husband,  who  empowers  or  reminds  her  of  her  power 
still  to  deal  with  her  as  it  pleased  her.  Hagar,  unable  to  bear  the 
yoke  of  humiliation,  flees  from  her  mistress. 

7-12.  The  angel  of  the  Lord  either  represents  the  Lord,  or  presents 
the  Lord  in  angelic  form.  The  Lord  manifests  himself  to  Ilagar 
seemingly  on  account  of  her  relationship  to  Abram,  but  in  the  more 
distant  form  of  angelic  visitation.  She  herself  appears  to  be  a  believer 
in  God.  The  spring  of  water  is  a  place  of  refreshment  on  her  journey. 
She  is  on  the  way  to  Shur,  which  was  before  Mizraim  as  thou  goest 
towards  Asshur  (Gen.  xxv.  18),  and  therefore  fleeing  to  Egypt,  her 
native  land.  8,  9.  The  angel  of  the  Lord  interrogates  her,  and  requires 
her  to  retui-n  to  her  mistress,  and  humble  herself  under  her  hands. 

10.  /  will  multiply.  This  language  is  proper  only  to  the  Lord 
himself;  for  it  claims  a  divine  prerogative.  The  Lord  is,  therefore, 
in  this  angel.  He  promises  to  Hagar  a  numerous  oflspring.  11,  12. 
Ishmael.  El,  the  Mighty,  will  hear ;  but  Jehovah,  the  Lord,  heard  her 
humiUation.  Jehovah,  therefore,  is  the  same  God  as  El.  He  describes 
Ishmael  and  his  progeny  in  him  as  resembling  the  wild  ass.  This 
animal  is  a  fit  symbol  of  the  wild,  free,  untamable  Bedawin  of  the 
desert.  He  is  to  live  in  contention,  and  yet  to  dwell  independently, 
among  all  his  brethren.  His  brethren  ai-e  the  descendants  of  Ileber, 
the  Joctanites,  composing  the  thirteen  original  tribes  of  the  Arabs,  and 
the  Palgites  to  whom  the  descendants  of  Abram  belonged.  The  Ish- 
maelites  constituted  the  second  element  of  the  great  Arab  nation,  and 
shared  in  their  nomadic  character  and  independence.  The  character 
here  given  of  them  is  true  even  to  the  present  day. 


GEN.  XVII.  305 

13-16.  God  of  my  vision  (El-roi).  Here  we  have  the  same  di- 
vine name  as  in  Ishmael.  Have  I  even  still  seen  —  continued  to  live 
and  see  the  sun  after  having  seen  God  ?  Beer-lahai-roi,  the  well  of 
vision  (of  God)  to  the  living.  To  see  God  and  live  was  an  issue  con- 
trary to  expectation  (Ex.  xsxiii.  20).  Tlie  well  is  between  Kadesh 
and  Bered.  The  site  of  the  latter  has  not  been  ascertained.  R.  Jona- 
than gives  Nsnbn  the  "'EXovaa  of  Ptolemy,  now  el-Khulasa,  about  twelve 
miles  south  of  Beersheba.  Rowland  finds  the  well  at  Moyle  or  Mu- 
weilah,  still  further  south  in  the  same  direction.  15,  IG.  The  birth 
of  Ishmael  is  in  the  sixteenth  year  after  Abram's  call,  and  the  eleventh 
after  his  arrival  in  Kenaan. 


XLIII.    THE  SEALING  OF  THE  COVENANT.  —  Gen.  xvii. 

I .  ^'^'O  Shaddai,  Irresistible,  ahle  to  destroy,  and  by  inference  to  make, 
Almighty.  Tio  be  strong,  destroy.  This  name  is  found  six  times  in 
Genesis,  and  thirty-one  times  in  Job. 

5.  Cii'^nx  Abraham,  from  Dnnx  Jiigh-father,  and  cn  the  radical  part 
of  "ji'^ii  a  midtitude,  is  obtained  by  a  euphonic  abbreviation  Cin'nsx  high-  l^ 
father  of  a  midtitude.  The  root  d  m  is  a  variation  of  m^  ;  affording, 
however,  a  link  of  connection  in  sound  and  sense  with  the  root  n^ln 
hum,  be  tumidtuous,  from  which  comes  "jiisn  a  midtitude.  The  conflu- 
ence of  the  biliterals  S"i  and  en  yields  the  trUiteral  oni  occurring  in 
Arabic,  though  not  elsewhere  in  our  written  Hebrew.  The  law  of 
formation  here  noticed  is  interesting  and  real,  though  an"i  may  not 
have  been  an  actual  result  of  it. 

II.  DP^r?  formed  from  ^333  circumcised,     bw  cut,  circumcise. 
15.  rrnb  Sarah,  princess. 

19.  pfi'^"^  Jitschaq,  laughing. 

XYII.  1.  And  Abram  was  the  son  of  ninety  and  nine  years, 
and  the  Lord  appeared  to  Abram  and  said  unto  him,  I  am  God 
Almighty :  walk  before  me,  and  be  perfect.  2.  And  I  will 
grant  my  covenant  between  me  and  thee,  and  multiply  thee 
exceedingly.  3.  And  Abram  fell  on  his  face  ;  and  God  talked 
with  him,  saying,  4.  As  for  me,  behold,  my  covenant  is  with. 
39 


306  THE  SEALING  OF  THE  COVENANT. 

thee ;  and  thou  shalt  be  father  of  many  nations.  5.  And  thy 
name  shall  no  more  be  called  Abram ;  but  thy  name  shall  be 
Abraham  ;  for  a  father  of  many  nations  have  I  made  thee.  6. 
And  I  will  make  thee  exceeding  fruitful,  and  make  nations  of 
thee  ;  and  kings  shall  come  out  of  thee.  7.  And  I  will  estab- 
lish my  covenant  between  me  and  thee,  and  thy  seed  after 
thee,  in  their  generations,  for  a  perpetual  covenant,  to  be  a 
God  unto  thee,  and  to  thy  seed  after  thee.  8.  And  I  will  give 
unto  thee,  and  to  thy  seed  after  thee,  the  land  of  thy  sojourn- 
ings,  all  the  land  of  Kenaan,  for  a  perpetual  possession ;  and 
I  will  be  their  God. 

9.  And  God  said  to  Abraham,  And  thou  my  covenant  shalt 
keep,  tliou  and  thy  seed  after  thee  in  their  generations.  10. 
This  is  my  covenant,  which  ye  shall  keep,  between  me  and 
you  and  the  seed  after  thee  :  that  every  male  of  you  be  circum- 
cised. 11.  And  ye  shall  circumcise  the  flesh  of  your  fore- 
skin ;  and  it  shall  be  a  token  of  the  covenant  betwixt  me  and 
you.  12.  And  the  son  of  eight  days  shall  be  circumcised  for 
you,  every  male  in  your  generations ;  born  in  the  house,  and 
bought  witli  money,  of  every  stranger  who  is  not  of  thy  seed. 
13.  Circumcised  shall  he  be  that  is  born  in  thy  house  and 
bought  with  thy  money ;  and  my  covenant  shall  be  in  your 
•flesh  for  a  perpetual  covenant.  14.  And  the  uncircumcised 
male,  the  flesh  of  whose  foreskin  is  not  circumcised,  that  soul 
shall  be  cut  off  from  his  people :  my  covenant  hath  he  bro- 
ken. §  30. 

15.  And  God  said  unto  Abraham,  As  for  Sarai  thy  wife,  thou 
shalt  not  call  licr  name  Sarai ;  but  Sarah  shall  bo  her  name. 
16.  And  I  will  bless  her,  and  give  thee  a  son  also  of  her:  and 
I  will  bless  her,  and  she  shall  become  nations  ;  kings  of  peo- 
ples shall  be  of  her.  17.  And  Abraham  fell  on  his  face,  and 
laughed,  and  said  in  his  heart,  Shall  a  child  be  born  to  the  son 
of  a  hundred  years  ?  or  Sarah  —  shall  the  daughter  of  ninety 
years  boar  ?  18.  And  Abraham  said  unto  God,  Oh  that  Ishmael 
might  live  before  thee !     19.  And  God  said,  Certainly  Sarah 


GEN.  XVII.  807 

thy  wife  shall  bear  thee  a  son,  and  thou  shalt  call  his  name 
Isaac :  and  I  will  establish  my  covenant  with  him  for  a  per- 
petual covenant  for  his  seed  after  him.  20.  And  for  Ishmael 
I  have  heard  thee :  behold,  I  have  blessed  him,  and  made  him 
fruitful,  and  multiplied  him  exceedingly :  twelve  princes  shall 
he  beget,  and  I  will  make  him  a  great  nation.  21.  But  my 
covenant  will  I  establish  with  Isaac,  whom  Sarah  shall  bear 
unto  thee  at  this  season  in  the  next  year.  22.  And  he  left  off 
talking  with  him ;  and  God  went  up  from  xVbraham. 

23.  And  Abraham  took  Ishmael  his  son,  and  all  that  were 
born  in  his  house,  and  all  that  were  bought  with  his  money, 
every  male  among  the  men  of  Abraham's  house,  and  circum- 
cised the  flesh  of  their  foreskin  in  the  self-same  day,  as  God 
had  spoken  with  him.  21.  And  Abraham  was  the  son  of  ninety 
and  nine  years  when  he  was  circumcised  in  the  flesh  of  his 
foreskin.  25.  And  Ishmael  his  son  was  the  son  of  thirteen 
years  when  he  was  circumcised  in  the  flesh  of  his  foreskin. 
26.  In  the  self-same  day  was  Abraham  circumcised  and  Ish- 
mael his  son.  27.  And  all  the  men  of  his  house,  born  in  the 
house,  and  bought  with  money  of  the  stranger,  were  circum- 
cised with  him.  4  im  19. 


The  present  form  of  the  covenant  is  not  identical  with  the  former. 
That  referred  chiefly  to  the  land;  this  chiefly  to  the  seed.  That  dwelt 
much  on  temporal  things  ;  this  rises  to  spiritual  things.  That  specifies 
only  Abram ;  this  mentions  both  Abram  and  Sarai.  At  the  former  pe- 
riod God  formally  entered  into  covenant  with  Abram  (n^'in  rns  Gen.  xv. 
18)  ;  at  present  he  takes  the  first  step  in  the  fufihnent  of  the  covenant 
(r'lns  'ra),  seals  it  with  a  token  and  a  perpetual  ordinance,  and  gives 
Abram  and  Sarai  new  names  in  token  of  a  new  nature.  There  was 
an  interval  of  fourteen  years  at  least  between  the  ratification  of  the 
covenant  and  the  preparation  for  the  fulfilment  of  its  conditions,  dui-ing 
which  Abraham's  faith  had  time  to  unfold. 

1-8.  The  covenant  in  its  spiritual  aspect.  Tlie  Lord,  the  Author 
of  existence  and  performance.  God  Almighty,  El  Shaddai.  El,  the 
Lasting,  Eternal,  Absolute.     Shaddai,  the  Irresistible,  Unchangeable, 


308  THE  SEALING  OF  THE  COVENANT. 

Destructive  (Isa.  xiii.  6;  Joel  i.  15).  This  term  indicates  on  the  one 
hand  his  judicial,  punitive  power,  and  points  to  his  holiness  ;  and  on  the 
other  hand,  his  alterative,  reconstructive  power,  and  points  to  his  prov- 
idence. The  complex  name,  therefore,  describes  God  as  the  Holy 
Spirit,  who  works  in  the  development  of  things,  especially  in  the  pun- 
ishment and  eradication  of  sin  and  its  works,  and  in  the  regeneration 
and  defence  of  holiness.  It  refers  to  potence,  and  potence  combined 
with  promise  affords  ground  for  faith. 

Walk  before  me  and  be  perfect.  In  the  institution  of  the  covenant 
we  had  "fear  not,"  —  an  encouragement  to  the  daunted  or  the  doubting. 
In  its  confirmation  we  have  a  command,  a  rule  of  life,  prescribed.  This 
is  in  keeping  with  the  circumstances  of  Abraham.  For,  first,  he  has 
now  faith  in  the  Lord^  which  is  the  fruit  of  the  new  man  in  him  pre- 
vailing over  the  old,  and  is  therefore  competent  to  obey ;  and,  next,  the 
Lord  in  whom  he  believes  is  God  Almighty,  the  all-efficient  Spirit, 
who  worketh  both  to  will  and  to  do  in  the  destroying  of  sin  and  build- 
ing up  of  holiness.  Walk,  —  act  in  the  most  comprehensive  sense  of  the 
term ;  before  me,  and  not  behind,  as  one  conscious  of  doing  what  is, 
not  displeasing,  but  pleasing  to  me ;  and  be  perfect,  not  sincere  merely, 
unless  in  the  primitive  sense  of  duty,  but  complete,  upright,  holy,  not 
only  in  walk,  which  is  provided  for  in  the  previous  clause,  but  in  heart, 
the  spring  of  action. 

2.  My  covenant,  which  I  have  already  purposed  and  formally  closed. 
livill  grant,  carry  into  effect,  the  provisions  of  it.  Midtijyly  thee.  The 
seed  is  here  identified  with  the  head  or  parent  seat  of  life.  The  seed 
now  comes  forward  as  the  prominent  benefit  of  the  covenant. 

3-6.  Abramfellon  his  face.  This  is  the  lowliest  form  of  reverence, 
in  which  the  worshipper  leans  on  his  knees  and  elbows,  and  his  forehead 
approaches  the  ground.  Prostration  is  still  customary  in  the  East. 
Abram  has  attained  to  loftier  notions  of  God.  God  talked  with  him. 
Jehovah,  El  Shaddai,  is  here  called  God.  The  Supreme  appears  as 
the  Author  of  existence,  the  Irresistible  and  Everlasting,  in  this  stage 
of  the  covenant  relation. 

4.  As  for  me.  The  one  party  to  the  covenant  is  here  made  promi- 
nent, as  in  verse  9  the  other  party  is  brought  out  with  like  emphasis. 
The  exalted  Being  who  has  entered  into  it  imparts  a  grandeur,  solem- 
nity, and  excellence  to  the  covenant.  Father  of  many  nations.  The 
promise  of  seed  is  here  expanded  and  particularized.  A  multitude  of 
nations  and  kings  are  to  trace  their  descent  from  Abram.  This  is  true 
in  a  literal  sense.     The  twelve  tribes  of  Israel  and  many  Arab  tribes, 


GEN.  xvn.  309 

the  twelve  princes  of  Islimael,  Keturah's  descendants,  and  tlie  dukes 
cf  EJom  sprang  from  him.  But  it  is  to  be  more  magnificently  realized 
in  a  spiritual  sense.  Nations  is  a  term  usually  applied,  not  to  the 
chosen  people,  but  to  the  other  great  branches  of  the  human  race. 
This  points  to  the  original  promise,  that  in  him  should  all  the  families 
of  the  earth  be  blessed.  Abraham.  The  father  of  many  nations  is  to 
be  called  by  a  new  name,  as  he  has  come  to  have  a  new  nature,  and 
been  elevated  to  a  new  dignity.  The  high  father  has  become  the 
father  of  the  multitude  of  the  faithful. 

7.  Next,  the  spiritual  part  of  the  covenant  comes  into  view.  To  he 
a  God  unto  thee,  and  to  thy  seed  after  thee.  Here  we  find  God,  in  the 
progress  of  human  development,  for  the  third  time  laying  the  founda- 
tions of  a  covenant  of  grace  with  man.  He  dealt  with  Adam  and  with 
Noah,  and  now  he  deals  with  Abraham.  A  perpetual  covenant.  This 
covenant  will  not  fail,  since  God  has  originated  it,  notwithstanding  the 
moral  instability  of  man.  Though  we  cannot  as  yet  see  the  possibility  of 
fulfilling  the  condition  on  man's  side,  yet  we  may  be  assured  that  what 
God  purposes  will  somehow  be  accomplished.  The  seed  of  Abraham 
wUl  eventually  embrace  the  whole  human  family  in  fellowship  with 
God. 

8.  Thirdly,  the  temporal  and  the  spiritual  are  brought  together. 
The  land  of  promise  is  made  sure  to  the  heir  of  promise,  for  a  perpetual 

ion,  and  God  engages  to  he  their  God.  The  phrase  perpetual 
ion  has  here  two  elements  of  meaning, — first,  that  the  possession, 
in  its  coming  form  of  a  certain  land,  shall  last  as  long  as  the  coexisting 
relations  of  things  are  continued ;  and,  secondly,  that  the  said  possession 
in  all  the  variety  of  its  ever  grander  phases  wiU  last  absolutely  for- 
ever. Each  form  will  be  perfectly  adequate  to  each  stage  of  a  pro- 
gressive humanity.  But  in  all  its  forms  and  at  every  stage  it  will  be 
their  chief  glory  that  God  is  their  God. 

9-14.  The  sign  of  the  covenant.  And  thou.  The  other  party  to 
the  covenant  now  learns  his  obligation.  Every  male  of  you  shall  he 
circumcised.  Circumcision,  as  the  rainbow,  might  have  been  in  exist- 
ence before  it  was  adopted  as  the  token  of  a  covenant.  The  sign  of 
the  covenant  with  Noah  was  a  purely  natural  phenomenon,  and  there- 
fore entirely  independent  of  man.  That  of  the  Abrahamic  covenant 
was  an  artificial  process,  and  therefore,  though  prescribed  by  God,  was 
dependent  on  the  voluntary  agency  of  man.  The  former  marked  the 
sovereignty  of  God  in  ratifying  the  covenant  and  insuring  its  fulfilment, 
notwith-tanding  the  mutability  of  man;  the  latter  indicates  the  respon- 


310  THE  SEALING  OF  THE  COVENANT. 

sibility  of  man,  the  trust  he  places  in  the  word  of  promise,  and  the 
assent  he  gives  to  the  terms  of  the  divine  mercy.  As  the  former 
covenant  conveys  a  common  natural  blessing  to  all  mankind  and  con- 
templates a  common  spiritual  blessing,  so  the  latter  conveys  a  special 
spiritual  blessing  and  contemplates  its  universal  acceptance.  The 
rainbow  was  the  appropriate  natural  emblem  of  preservation  from  a 
flood ;  and  the  removal  of  the  foreskin  was  the  fit  symbol  of  that  re- 
moval of  the  old  man  and  renewal  of  nature,  which  qualified  Abraham 
to  be  the  parent  of  a  holy  seed.  And  as  the  former  sign  foreshadows 
an  incorruptible  inheritance,  so  the  latter  jirepares  the  way  for  a  holy 
seed,  by  which  the  holiness  and  the  heritage  will  at  length  be  univer- 
sally extended. 

It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  in  circumcision,  after  Abraham  himself, 
the  parent  is  the  voluntary  imponent,  and  the  child  merely  the  pas- 
sive recipient  of  the  sign  of  the  covenant.  Hereby  is  taught  the  lesson 
of  parental  responsibility  and  parental  hope.  This  is  the  first  formal 
step  in  a  godly  education,  in  which  the  parent  acknowledges  his  obli- 
gation to  perform  all  the  rest.  It  is  also,  on  the  command  of  God,  the 
formal  admission  of  the  believing  parents'  offspring  into  the  privileges 
of  the  covenant,  and  therefore  cheers  the  heart  of  the  parent  in  entering 
upon  the  parental  task.  This  admission  cannot  be  reversed  but  by 
the  deliberate  rebellion  of  the  child. 

Still  further,  the  sign  of  the  covenant  is  to  be  applied  to  every  male 
in  the  household  of  Abraham.  This  indicates  that  the  servant  or  serf 
stands  in  the  relation  of  a  child  to  his  master  or  owner,  who  is  therefore 
accountable  for  the  soul  of  his  serf,  as  for  that  of  his  son.  It  points 
out  the  applicability  of  the  covenant  to  others,  as  well  as  the  children 
of  Abraham,  and  therefore  its  capability  of  universal  extension  when 
the  fulness  of  time  should  come.  It  also  intimates  the  very  plain  but 
very  often  forgotten  truth,  that  our  obligation  to  obey  God  is  not 
cancelled  by  our  unwilhngness.  The  serf  is  bound  to  have  his  child 
circumcised  as  long  as  God  requires  it,  though  he  may  be  unwilling  to 
comply  with  the  divine  commandments.     . 

12-14.  The  time  of  circumcision  is  the  eighth  day.  Seven  is  the 
number  of  perfection.  Seven  days  are  therefore  regarded  as  a  type 
of  perfect  age  and  individuality.  At  this  stage,  accordingly,  the  sign 
of  sanctificaticn  is  made  on  the  child,  betokening  the  consecration  of 
the  heart  to  God,  when  its  rational  powers  have  come  into  noticeable 
activity.  To  be  cut  off  from  his  people  is  to  be  excluded  from  any 
part  in  the  covenant,  and  treated  simply  as  a  Gentile  or  alien,  some  of 


GEN.  XVII.  311 

whom  seem  to  have  dwelt  among  the  Israelites.  It  was  sometimes 
accomiianied  with  the  sentence  of  death  (Ex.  xxxi.  14)  ;  and  this 
shows  that  it  did  not  of  itself  imply  such  a  doom.  Excommunication, 
however,  for  the  omission  of  circumcision,  would  be  extremely  rare,  as 
no  parent  would  intentionally  neglect  the  sacred  interest  of  his  child. 
Yet  the  omission  of  this  rite  has  not  been  unpi'ecedented,  as  the 
children  of  Israel  did  not  generally  circumcise  their  children  in  the 
wilderness  (Jos.  v.  5). 

15-22.  Sarai  is  now  formally  taken  into  the  covenant,  as  she  is  to 
be  the  mother  of  the  promised  seed.  Her  name  is  therefore  changed 
to  Sarah,  princess.  Aptly  is  she  so  named,  for  she  is  to  bear  the  child 
of  promise,  to  become  nations,  and  be  the  mother  of  kings.  17.  Ahra- 
ham  fell  upon  his  face  and  laughed.  From  the  reverential  attitude 
assumed  by  Abraham  we  infer  that  his  laughter  sprang  from  joyful 
and  grateful  surprise.  Said  in  his  heart.  The  following  questions 
of  wonder  are  not  addressed  to  God ;  they  merely  agitate  the  breast 
of  the  astonished  patriarch.  Hence  his  irrepressible  smile  arises  not 
from  any  doubt  of  the  fulfilment  of  the  promise,  but  from  surprise  at 
the  unexpected  mode  in  which  it  is  to  be  fulfilled.  Laugliing  in 
Scripture  expresses  joy  in  the  countenance,  as  dancing  does  in  the 
whole  body. 

18-20.  Abraham  seems  up  to  this  time  to  have  regarded  Ishmael 
as  the  promised  seed.  Hence  a  feeling  of  anxiety  instantly  penetrates 
his  breast.  It  finds  utterance  in  the  prayer.  Oh  that  Ishmael  might 
live  before  thee.  He  asks  life  for  his  beloved  son,  —  that  is,  a  share  in 
the  divine  favor  ;  and  that  before  God,  —  that  is,  a  life  of  holiness  and 
communion  with  God.  But  God  asseverates  his  purpose  of  giving 
him  a  son  by  Sarah,  This  son  is  to  be  called  Isaac,  —  he  that  laughs  or 
he  shall  laugh,  in  reference  to  the  various  emotions  of  surprise  and  de- 
light with  which  his  parents  regarded  his  bu-th.  Abram's  prayer  for 
Ishmael,  however,  is  not  unanswered.  He  is  to  be  fruitful,  beget 
twelve  princes,  and  become  a  great  nation.  21,  22.  But  Isaac  is  to  be 
the  heir  of  promise.  At  the  present  season  next  year  he  is  to  be  born. 
The  communication  being  completed,  God  went  up  from  Abram. 

20-21 .  In  the  self-same  day.  In  this  passage  we  have  the  prompt 
and  punctual  fulfilment  of  the  command  concerning  circumcision  de- 
tailed with  all  the  minuteness  due  to  its  importance.  Ishmael  was 
thirteen  years  of  age  when  he  was  ch'cumcised.  Josephus  relates 
that  the  Arabs  accordingly  delay  cu'cumcision  tiU  the  thirteenth  year 
(Ant.  I.  12.  2). 


312  VISIT  OF  THE  LORD  TO  ABRAHAM. 


XLIV.    VISIT  OF  THE  LORD  TO  ABRAHAM.—  Gen.  xviii. 

2.  ii^riri'iJii  how,  or  bend  the  body  in  token  of  respect  to  God  or 
man.  Tlie  attitude  varies  from  a  slight  inclination  of  the  body  to 
entire  prostration  with  the  forehead  touching  the  ground. 

6.  nxb  a  seah,  about  an  English  peck,  the  third  part  of  an  ephah. 
The  ephah  contained  ten  omers.     The  omer  held  about  five  pints. 

XVIII.  1.  And  the  Lord  appeared  unto  him  by  the  oaks 
of  Mamre,  and  he  sat  at  the  tent  door  in  the  heat  of  the  day. 
2.  And  he  lift  up  his  eyes  and  looked,  and,  lo,  three  men  stood 
before  him  ;  and  he  saw  and  ran  to  meet  them  from  the  tent 
door,  and  bowed  himself  to  the  earth ;  3.  And  said,  0  Lord, 
if  now  I  have  found  favor  in  thine  eyes,  pass  not  away  now 
from  thy  servant.  4.  Let  a  little  water  now  be  fetched,  and 
wash  your  feet,  and  rest  yourselves  under  the  tree  ;  5.  And 
I  will  fetch  a  morsel  of  bread,  and  comfort  ye  your  hearts : 
afterwards  ye  shall  pass  on  ;  for  therefore  are  ye  come  to  your 
servant.  And  they  said.  So  do,  as  thou  hast  spoken.  6.  And 
Abraham  hastened  into  the  tent  unto  Sarah,  and  said,  Hasten 
with  three  seahs  of  fine  meal,  knead  it,  and  make  hearth-cakes. 

7.  And  Abraham  ran  unto  the  herd,  and  fetched  a  calf,  tender 
and  good,  and  gave  it  to  the  lad,  and  he  hasted  to  dress  it. 

8.  And  he  fetched  butter  and  milk  and  the  calf  which  he  had 
dressed,  and  sot  before  them,  and  he  stood  by  them  under  the 
tree,  and  they  did  eat. 

9.  And  they  said  unto  him.  Where  is  Sarah,  thy  wife  ? 
And  he  said,  Behold,  in  the  tent.  10.  And  he  said,  I  vrill 
surely  return  unto  thee  at  the  time  of  life,  and  lo,  Sarah,  thy 
wife,  shall  have  a  son.  And  Sarah  heard  in  the  tent  door 
which  was  behind  him.  11.  Now  Abraham  and  Sarah  were 
old,  far  gone  in  days :  it  ceased  to  be  with  Sarah  after  the 
manner  of  women.  12.  And  Sarah  laughed  within  herself, 
saying.  After  I  am  faded  is  pleasure  come  to  me,  and  my  lord 
is  old?     13.   And  the  Lord  said  unto  Abraham,  Why  hath 


GEN.  x^^n.  313 

Sarah  laughed,  saying,  Shall  I  indeed  bear  when  I  am  old  ? 
14.  Is  anything  too  hard  for  the  Lord  ?  At  the  set  time  will 
I  return  unto  thee  about  the  time  of  life,  and  Sarah  shall  have 
a  son.  15.  Then  Sarah  denied,  saying,  I  laughed  not ;  for 
she  was  afraid.     And  he  said.  Nay,  but  thou  didst  laugh. 

16.  And  the  men  rose  up  thence  and  looked  toward  Sodom  ; 
and  Abraham  went  with  them  to  convoy  them.  17.  And  the 
Lord  said,  Shall  I  hide  from  Abraham  that  which  I  do  ?  18. 
And  Abraham  shall  surely  become  a  nation,  great  and  mighty, 
and  blessed  in  him  shall  be  all  the  nations  of  the  earth.  19. 
For  I  have  known  him,  that  he  may  command  his  children  and 
his  house  after  him,  and  they  shall  keep  the  way  of  tlie  Lord, 
to  do  justice  and  judgment;  that  the  Lord  may  bring  upon 
Abraham  that  which  he  hath  spoken  of  him.  20.  xV.nd  the 
Lord  said.  Because  the  cry  of  Sodom  and  Amorah  is  great, 
and  their  sin  is  very  grievous,  21.  Let  me  go  down  now, 
and  see  if  they  have  done  altogether  according  to  the  cry  of  it 
which  is  come  unto  me  ;  and  if  not,  let  me  know.  22.  And 
the  men  turned  their  faces  thence,  and  went  toward  Sodom  ; 
and  Abraham  was  yet  standing  before  the  Lord. 

23.  And  Abraham  drew  near  and  said.  Wilt  thou  also 
destroy  the  righteous  with  the  wicked  ?  24.  Mayhap  there  be 
fifty  righteous  within  the  city :  wilt  thou  also  destroy  and  not 
spare  the  place  for  the  fifty  righteous  that  are  therein  ?  25. 
Far  be  it  from  thee  to  do  after  this  manner,  to  slay  the  right- 
eous with  the  wicked,  that  the  righteous  be  as  the  wicked  : 
far  be  it  from  thee.  Shall  not  the  judge  of  all  the  earth  do 
right  ?  26.  And  the  Lord  said.  If  I  find  in  Sodom  fifty  right- 
eous within  the  city,  then  I  will  spare  all  the  place  for  their 
sake.  27.  And  Abraham  answered  and  said.  Behold  now  I 
have  taken  upon  me  to  speak  unto  the  Lord,  who  am  but  dust 
and  ashes.  28.  Mayhap  the  fifty  righteous  lack  five:  wilt 
thou  destroy  for  the  five  all  the  city  ?  And  he  said  I  will  not 
destroy  it,  if  I  find  there  forty  and  five.  29.  And  he  spake 
unto  him  yet  again  and  said.  Mayhap  there  be  forty  found 
40 


314 


VISIT  OF  THE  LORD  TO  ABRAHAM. 


there  ?  And  he  said,  I  will  not  do  it  for  the  forty's  sake. 
30.  And  he  said,  Let  not  the  Lord  now  be  angry,  and  I  will 
speak  :  mayhap  there  be  thirty  found  there  ?  And  he  said,  I 
will  not  do  it  if  I  find  thirty  there.  31.  And  he  said.  Behold 
now,  I  have  taken  upon  me  to  speak  unto  the  Lore  :  mayhap 
there  be  twenty  found  there  ?  And  he  said,  I  will  not  destroy 
it  for  the  twenty's  sake.  32.  And  he  said,  let  not  the  Lord 
be  angry,  and  I  will  speak  but  this  once  :  mayhap  there  be 
ten  found  there  ?  And  he  said,  I  will  not  destroy  it  for  the 
ten's  sake.  33.  And  the  Lord  went  his  way,  as  soon  as  he 
had  left  speaking  with  Abraham ;  and  Abraham  returned  to 
his  place. 

This  chapter  describes  Abraham's  fellowship  with  God.  On  the  gra- 
cious assurance  of  the  Eedeemer  and  Vindicator,  "  Fear  not,  I  am  thy 
shield  and  thy  exceeding  great  rew^ard,"  he  ceased  to  fear,  and  believed. 
On  the  solemn  announcement  of  the  Conqueror  of  evil  and  the  Quick- 
ener  of  the  dead,  "  I  am  God  Almighty  ;  walk  before  me  and  be  per- 
fect," he  began  anew  to  walk  with  God  in  holiness  and  truth.  The 
next  step  is,  that  God  enters  into  communion  with  him  as  a  man  with 
his  friend  (Isa.  xli.  8  ;  John.  xiv.  23).  Hitherto  he  has  ap^ieared 
to  him  as  God  offering  grace  and  inclining  the  will  to  receive  it.  Now, 
as  God  who  has  bestowed  grace,  he  appears  to  him  who  has  accepted 
it  and  is  admitted  into  a  covenant  of  peace.  He  visits  him  for  the 
twofold  purpose  of  drawing  out  and  completing  the  faith  of  Sarah,  and 
of  communing  with  Abraham  concerning  the  destruction  of  Sodom. 

1-15.  The  Lord  visits  Abraham  and  assures  Sarah  of  the  birth  of 
a  son.  Abraham  is  sitting  in  the  tent  door  in  the  heat  of  the  day, 
reposing.  Three  men  stood  before  Mm.  Whenever  visitants  from  the 
celestial  world  appear  to  men,  they  have  the  form  of  man.  This  is 
the  only  form  of  a  rational  being  known  to  us.  It  is  not  the  design  of 
God  in  revealing  his  mercy  to  us  to  make  us  acquainted  with  the  whole 
of  the  nature  of  things.  The  science  of  things  visible  or  invisible  he 
leaves  to  our  natural  faculties  to  explore,  as  far  as  occasion  allows. 
Hence  we  conclude  that  the  celestial  visitant  is  a  real  being,  and  that 
the  form  is  a  real  form.  But  we  are  not  entitled  to  infer  that  the 
human  is  the  only  or  the  proper  form  of  such  beings,  or  that  they  have 
any  ordinary  or  constant  form  open  to  sense.     We  only  discern  that 


GEN.  XVIII.  315 

they  are  intelligent  beings  like  ourselves,  and,  in  order  to  manifest 
themselves  to  us  as  such,  put  on  that  form  of  intelligent  creatures  with 
which  we  are  familiar,  and  in  which  they  can  intelligibly  confer  with 
us.  For  the  same  reason  they  speak  the  language  of  the  party  ad- 
dressed, though,  for  ought  we  know,  spiritual  beings  use  none  of  the 
many  languages  of  humanity,  and  have  quite  a  different  mode  of 
communicating  with  one  another.  Other  human  acts  follow  on  the 
occasion.  They  accept  the  hospitality  of  Abraham  and  partake  of 
human  food.  This,  also,  was  a  real  act.  It  does  not  imply,  however, 
that  food  is  necessary  to  spiritual  beings.  The  whole  is  a  typical  act 
representing  communion  between  God  and  Abraham.  Tlie  giving 
and  receiving  of  a  meal  was  the  gi-ound  of  a  perpetual  or  inviolable 
friendship. 

He  ran  to  meet  him.  This  indicates  the  genuine  warmth  of  unso- 
phisticated nature.  Bowed  himself  to  the  earth.  This  indicates  a  low 
bow,  in  which  the  body  becomes  horizontal,  and  the  head  droops. 
This  gesture  is  employed  both  in  worship  and  doing  obeisance. 

3-5.  0  Lord.  Abraham  uses  the  word  "^Stx  denoting  one  having 
authority,  whether  divine  or  not.  This  the  Masorites  mark  as  sacred, 
and  apply  the  vowel  points  proper  to  the  word  when  it  signines  God. 
These  men  in  some  Avay  represent  God ;  for  the  Lord  on  this  occasion 
appeared  unto  Abraham  (v.  1).  The  number  is  in  this  x'espect  nota- 
ble. Abraham  addresses  himself  first  to  one  person  (v.  3),  then  to 
more  than  one  (v.  4,  5).  It  is  stated  that  "  they  said,  So  do  (v.  5),  they 
did  eat  (v.  8),  they  said  unto  him,  "Whei*e  is  Sarah  thy  wife  "  (v.  9). 
Then  the  singular  number  is  resumed  in  the  phrase  and  he  said  (v. 
10),  and  at  length,  "The  Lord  said  unto  Abraham"  (v.  13),  and  then, 
"and  he  said"  (v.  15),  Then  vfQ  are  told  ^-the  men  rose  up,  and 
Abraliam  went  with  them  "  (v.  IG).  Then  v/e  have  "  The  Lord  said  " 
twice  (v.  17,  20).  And  lastly,  it  is  said  (v.  22)  "  the  men  turned  their 
faces  and  went  toward  Sodom,  and  Abraham  was  yet  standing  before 
the  Lord."  From  this  it  appears  that  of  the  three  men  one,  at  all 
events,  was  the  Lord,  who,  when  the  other  two  went  tov/ards  Sodom, 
remained  with  Abraham  while  he  made  his  intercession  for  Sodom, 
and  afterwards  he  also  went  his  way.  The  other  two  will  come  be- 
fore us  again  in  the  next  chapter.  Meanwhile  we  have  here  the  first 
explicit  instance  of  the  Lord  appearing  as  man  to  man,  and  holding 
familiar  intercourse  with  him. 

The  narrative  affords  a  pleasing  instance  of  the  primitive  manners 
of  the  East.     The  hospitality  of  the  pastoral  tribes  was  spontaneous 


316  VISIT  OF  THE  LORD  TO  ABRAHAM. 

and  unreserved.  The  washing  of  the  feet,  which  were  partly  at  least 
uncovered  in  walking,  the  reclining  under  the  tree,  and  the  offer  of 
refreshment,  are  indicative  of  an  unchanging  rural  simplicity.  The 
phrases  a  little  water,  a  morsel  of  bread,  flow  from  a  thoughtful  cour- 
tesy. Therefore  are  ye  come.  In  the  course  of  events  it  has  so  fallen 
out,  in  order  that  you  might  be  refreshed.  The  brief  reply  is  a  frank 
and  unaffected  acceptance  of  the  hospitable  invitation. 

6-8.  Abraham  hastened.  The  unvarying  customs  of  Eastern  pasto- 
ral life  here  come  up  before  us.  There  is  plenty  of  flour  and  of  live 
cattle.  But  the  cakes  have  to  be  kneaded  and  baked  on  the  hearth, 
and  the  calf  has  to  be  killed  and  dressed.  Abraham  personally  gives 
directions,  Sarah  personally  attends  to  the  bakmg,  and  the  boy  or  lad 
— that  is,  the  domestic  servant  whose  business  it  is  —  kills  and  di-esses 
the  meat.  Abraham  himself  attends  upon  his  guests.  Three  seahs. 
About  three  pecks,  and  therefore  a  superabundant  supply  for  three 
guests.  An  omer,  or  three  tenths  of  a  seah,  was  considered  sufiicient 
for  one  man  for  a  day  (Ex.  xvi.  16).  But  Abraham  had  a  numer- 
ous household,  and  plentifulness  was  the  character  of  primitive  hospi- 
tality. Hearth  calces,  baked  among  the  coals.  Butter,  —  seemingly 
any  preparation  of  milk,  cream,  curds,  or  butter,  all  of  which  are  used 
in  the  East. 

9-15.  The  promise  to  Sarah.  The  men  now  enter  upon  the  business 
of  their  vi<it.  Where  is  Sarah  thy  wife  ?  The  jealousy  and  seclu- 
sion of  later  times  had  not  yet  rendered  such  an  inquiry  uncourteous. 
Sarah  is  within  hearing  of  the  conversation.  /  will  certainly  return 
unto  thee.  This  is  the  language  of  self-determination,  and  therefore 
suitable  to  the  sovereign,  not  to  the  ambassador.  At  the  time  of  life  ; 
literally  the  living  time,  seemingly  the  time  of  birth,  when  the  child 
comes  to  manifest  life.  Sarah  thy  wife  shall  have  o  so7i.  Sarah 
hears  this  with  incredulous  surprise,  and  laughs  with  mingled  doubt 
and  delight.  She  knows  that  in  the  nature  of  things  she  is  past  child- 
bearing.  11.  Is  anything  too  hard  for  the  Lord?  Sarah  laughed 
within  herself,  within  the  tent  and  behind  the  speaker ;  yet  to  her 
surprise  her  internal  feelings  are  known  to  him.  She  finds  there  is 
One  present  who  rises  above  the  sf)here  of  nature.  In  her  confusion 
and  terror  she  denies  that  she  laughed.  But  he  who  sees  what  is  within, 
insists  that  she  did  laugh,  at  least  in  the  thought  of  her  heart.  There 
is  a  beautiful  simplicity  in  the  whole  scene.  Sarah  now  doubtless 
received  faith  and  strength  to  conceive. 

10-33.  The  conference  concerning  Sodom.     The  human  manner  of 


GEN.  XYIU.  317 

the  interview  is  carried  out  to  the  end.  Abraham  conv^ojs  his  de- 
parting guests.  The  Lord  then  speaks,  apparently  debating  with 
himself  whether  he  shall  reveal  his  intentions  to  Abraham.  The  rea- 
sons for  doing  so  are  assigned.  1st.  Abraham  shall  surely  become  a 
nation  great  and  mighty,  and  therefore  has  the  interest  of  humanity  in 
this  act  of  retribution  on  Sodom.  All  that  concerns  man  concerns  him. 
2d.  Blessed  in  him  shall  be  all  the  nations  of  the  earth.  Hence  he  is 
personally  and  directly  concerned  with  all  the  dealings  of  mercy  and 
judgment  among  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth.  3d.  I  have  known  htm. 
The  Lord  has  made  himself  known  to  him,  has  manifested  his  love  to 
him,  has  renewed  him  after  his  own  image  ;  and  hence  this  judgment 
upon  Sodom  is  to  be  explained  to  him,  that  he  may  train  his  household 
to  avoid  the  sins  of  this  doomed  city,  to  keep  the  way  of  the  Lord,  to  do 
justice  and  judgment ;  and  all  this  to  the  further  intent  that  the  Lord 
may  bring  upon  Abraham  that  which  he  hath  spoken  of  him.  The  aw- 
ful judgments  of  the  Lord  on  Sodom,  as  before  on  the  antediluvian 
world,  are  a  warning  example  to  all  who  are  spared  or  hear  of  them. 
And  those  who,  notwithstanding  these  monuments  of  the  divine  ven- 
geance, will  cease  to  do  justice  and  judgment,  may  be  certain  that  they 
will  not  continue  to  enjoy  the  benefits  of  the  covenant  of  grace.  For 
all  these  reasons  it  is  meet  that  the  secret  of  Lord  be  with  him  (Ps. 
XXV.  11). 

20-22.  The  Lord  now  proceeds  to  unfold  his  design.  There  is 
justice  in  every  step  of  the  divine  procedure.  He  comes  down  to  in- 
quire and  act  according  to  the  merits  of  the  case.  The  men  now  depart 
on  their  errand ;  but  Abraham  still  stands  before  the  Lord. 

23-33.  Abraham  intercedes  for  Sodom.  His  spiritual  character  is 
unfolded  and  exalted  more  and  more.  He  employs  the  language  of  a 
free-born  son  with  his  heavenly  Father.  He  puts  forward  the  plea  of 
justice  to  the  righteous  in  behalf  of  the  city.  He  ventures  to  repeat 
his  intervention  six  times,  every  time  diminishing  the  number  of  the 
righteous  whom  he  supposes  to  be  in  it.  The  patience  of  the  Lord  is 
no  less  remarkable  than  the  perseverance  of  Abraham.  In  every  case 
he  grants  his  petition.  27.  Dust  and  ashes.  This  may  refer  to  the 
custom  of  burning  the  dead,  as  then  coexistent  with  that  of  burying 
them.  Abraham  intimates  by  a  homely  figure  the  comparative  insig- 
nificance of  the  petitioner.     He  is  dust  at  first,  and  ashes  at  last. 

This  completes  the  full  and  free  intercourse  of  God  with  Abraham. 
He  accepts  his  hospitable  entertainment,  renews  his  promise  of  a  son 
by  Sarah,  communicates  to  him  his  counsel,  and  grants  all  his  requests. 


318  DESTRUCTION  OF  SODOM  AND  AMORAH. 

It  is  evident  that  Abraham  has  now  fully  entered  upon  all  the  privileges 
of  the  sons  of  God.     He  has  become  the  friend  of  God  (James  ii.  23). 


XLV.    DESTRUCTION  OF  SODOM  AND  AMORAH.  —  Gen.  xix. 

9.  hxlrln-c.^  approach  to  a  distant  point,  stand  back. 
11.  di"i.":D  blindness,  affecting  the  mental  more  than  the  ocular  vision. 
37.  asir  Moab,  nx?2  from  a  father.     rs-j-{^  Ben- ammi,  son  of  my 
people,     "ias  'Ammon,  of  the  people. 

XIX.  1.  And  the  two  angels  came  to  Sodom  at  even,  and 
Lot  sat  in  the  gate  of  Sodom :  and  Lot  saw  and  rose  up  to  meet 
tliem,  and  bowed  with  his  face  to  the  earth.  2.  And  he  said, 
Behold,  now,  my  lords,  turn  aside  now  to  your  servant's  house, 
and  lodge,  and  wash  your  feet ;  and  ye  shall  rise  up  early,  and 
go  on  your  way.  And  they  said.  Nay,  but  in  the  street  will  we 
lodge.  3.  And  he  pressed  upon  them  greatly ;  and  they  turned 
aside  to  him,  and  went  into  his  house :  and  he  made  them  a 
feast,  and  baked  unleavened  cakes,  and  they  did  eat. 

4.  They  lay  not  yet  down,  and  the  men  of  the  city,  the  men 
of  Sodom,  compassed  the  house,  both  young  and  old,  all  the 
people  from  every  quarter.  5.  And  they  called  unto  Lot,  and 
said  unto  him.  Where  are  the  men  who  went  in  to  thee  to- 
night? Bring  them  out  unto  us,  and  we  shall  know  them. 
6.  And  Lot  came  out  to  them  at  the  door,  and  shut  the  door 
after  him.  7.  And  said,  Do  not  now,  my  brethren,  so  wick- 
edly. 8.  Behold,  now,  I  have  two  daughters,  who  have  not 
known  man ;  let  me  now  bring  them  out  unto  you, and  do  ye 
to  them  as  is  good  in  your  eyes :  only  unto  these  men  do  noth- 
ing ;  for  therefore  came  they  under  the  shadow  of  my  roof. 
9.  And  they  said.  Stand  back.  And  they  said.  This  one  is 
come  in  to  sojourn,  and  he  will  needs  be  a  judge  ;  now  will  we 
deal  worse  with  thee  thaiT  with  them.  And  they  pressed  sore 
upon  the  man,  even  Lot,  and  drew  near  to  break  the  door. 


GEN.  XIX.  319 

10.  And  tho  men  put  forth  their  hand,  and  pulled  Lot  to  them 
into  the  house,  and  shut  the  door.  11.  And  the  men  that  were 
at  tho  door  of  the  house  they  smote  with  blindness,  both  small 
and  great :  and  they  wearied  themselves  to  find  the  door. 

12.  And  the  men  said  unto  Lot,  Whom  else  hast  thou  here? 
Son-in-law,  and  thy  sons,  and  thy  daughters,  and  all  that  thou 
hast  in  the  city,  bring  out  of  this  place.  13.  For  destroy  will 
we  this  place,  because  the  cry  of  them  is  waxen  great  before 
the  Lord,  and  the  Lord  sent  us  to  destroy  it.  14.  And  Lot 
went  out,  and  spake  unto  his  sons-in-law,  who  married  his 
daughters,  and  said,  Up,  get  ye  out  of  this  place,  for  the  Lord 
will  destroy  this  city.  But  he  was  as  a  mocker  in  the  eyes  of 
his  sons-in-law.  15.  And  when  the  dawn  arose,  then  the  an- 
gels urged  Lot,  saying.  Arise,  take  thy  wife  and  thy  two  daugh- 
ters, who  are  here,  lest  thou  be  consumed  in  the  iniquity  of 
the  city.  16.  And  he  lingered,  and  the  men  laid  hold  on  his 
hand,  and  on  the  hand  of  his  wife,  and  on  the  hand  of  his 
two  daughters,  in  the  mercy  of  the  Lord  unto  him :  and  they 
brought  him  forth,  and  set  him  without  the  city.  17.  And  it 
came  to  pass,  when  they  had  brought  them  forth  abroad,  that 
he  said,  Escape  for  thy  life ;  look  not  behind  thee,  and  stay 
not  in  all  the  vale ;  escape  to  the  mountain,  lest  thou  be  con- 
sumed. 18.  And  Lot  said  unto  them,  Not  so  now,  0  Lord. 
19.  Behold  now,  thy  servant  hath  found  grace  in  thine  eyes, 
and  thou  didst  magnify  thy  mercy,  which  thou  hast  showed 
unto  me  in  saving  my  life  ;  and  I,  I  cannot  escape  to  tho  moun- 
tain, lest  evil  overtake  me,  and  I  die.  20.  Behold,  now,  this 
city  is  near  to  flee  unto,  and  it  is  a  small  place :  let  me  now 
escape  thither  ;  is  it  not  a  small  place  ?  and  my  soul  shall  live. 
21.  And  lie  said  unto  him,  Lo,  I  have  accepted  thee  also  con- 
cerning this  thing,  not  to  overthrow  the  city  for  which  thou 
hast  spoken.  22.  Haste  thee,  escape  thither;  for  I  cannot  do 
anything  till  thou  go  thither.  Therefore  was  the  name  of  the 
city  called  Zoar.  23.  The  sun  was  come  forth  upon  the  earth, 
when  Lot  entered  Zoar. 


320  DESTEUCTION  OF  SODOM  AXD  AMORAH. 

24.  Then  the  Lord  rahied  upon  Sodom  and  Amorah  brim- 
stone and  fire  from  the  Lord  from  the  skies.  25.  And  he 
overthrew  those  cities,  and  all  the  vale,  and  all  the  inhabitants 
of  the  cities,  and  that  which  grew  upon  the  soil.  2G.  And  his 
wife  looked  from  behind  him,  and  she  became  a  pillar  of  salt. 

27.  And  Abraham  gat  up  early  in  the  morning  to  the  place 
where  ho  stood  before  the  Lord.  28.  And  looked  out  upon 
Sodom  and  Amorah,  and  upon  all  the  land  of  the  vale,  and 
beheld,  and  lo,  the  smoke  of  the  land  went  up  as  the  smoke 
of  a  furnace.  29.  And  it  came  to  pass  when  God  destroyed 
the  cities  of  the  vale,  that  God  remembered  Abraham,  and 
sent  Lot  out  of  the  midst  of  the  overthrow  when  he  overthrew 
the  cities  in  which  Lot  dwelt. 

30.  And  Lot  went  up  out  of  Zoar,  and  dwelt  in  the  moun- 
tain, and  his  two  daughters  with  him  ;  for  he  feared  to  dwell 
in  Zoar :  and  he  dwelt  in  a  cave,  he  and  his  two  daughters. 
31.  And  the  first-born  said  unto  the  younger,  Our  father  is 
old,  and  there  is  not  a  man  in  the  land  to  come  in  unto  us 
after  the  manner  of  all  the  land.  32.  Come,  let  us  make  our 
father  drink  wine,  and  we  will  lie  with  him,  that  we  preserve 
seed  of  our  father.  33.  And  they  made  their  father  drink 
wine  that  night :  and  the  first-born  went  in  and  lay  with  her 
father ;  and  he  knew  not  of  lier  lying  down  or  of  her  rising 
up.  34.  And  it  came  to  pass  on  the  morrow  that  the  first-born 
said  unto  the  younger.  Behold,  I  lay  yesternight  with  my  father: 
let  us  make  him  drink  wine  this  night  also,  and  go  lie  with 
him,  that  wo  may  preserve  seed  of  our  father.  35.  And  they 
made  their  father  drink  wine  that  night  also  :  and  the  younger 
arose  and  lay  with  him  ;  and  he  knew  not  of  her  lying  down 
or  of  her  rising  up.  3(3.  And  the  two  daughters  of  Lot  were 
with  child  by  their  father.  37.  And  the  first-born  bare  a  son, 
and  called  his  name  Moab :  the  same  is  the  father  of  'Moab 
unto  this  day.  38.  And  the  younger,  she  also  bare  a  son,  and 
called  his  name  Ben-ammi :  the  same  is  the  father  of  the  chil- 
dren of  Ammon  unto  this  day.  §  31. 


GEN.  XIX.  321 

This  chapter  is  the  continuation  and  conclusion  of  the  former.  It 
records  a  part  of  God's  strange  work, —  strange,  because  it  consists  in 
punishment,  and  because  it  is  foreign  to  the  covenant  of  grace.  Yet 
it  is  closely  connected  -with  Abraham's  history,  inasmuch  as  it  is  a  sig- 
nal chastisement  of  wickedness  in  his  neighborhood,  a  memorial  of  the 
righteous  judgment  of  God  to  all  his  posterity,  and  at  the  same  time 
a  remarkable  answer  to  the  spirit,  if  not  to  the  letter,  of  his  interces- 
sory prayer.  His  kinsman  Lot,  the  only  righteous  man  in  Sodom,  with 
his  wife  and  two  daughters,  is  delivered  from  destruction  in  accordance 
with  his  earnest  appeal  on  behalf  of  the  righteous. 

1-3.  Tlie  two  angels.  These  are  the  two  men  who  left  Abraham 
standing  before  the  Lord  (Gen.  xviii.  22).  Lot  satin  the  gate,  the 
place  of  public  resort  for  news  and  for  business.  He  courteously  rises 
to  meet  them,  does  obeisance  to  them,  and  invites  them  to  spend  the 
night  in  his  house.  Nay,  hut  in  the  street  will  we  lodge.  This  is  the 
disposition  of  those  who  come  to  inquire,  and,  it  may  be,  to  condemn 
and  to  punish.  They  are  twice  in  this  chapter  called  angels,  being 
sent  to  perform  a  delegated  duty.  This  term,  however,  defines  their 
office,  not  their  nature.  Lot,  in  the  first  instance,  calls  them  "  my 
lords,"  which  is  a  term  of  respect  that  may  be  addressed  to  men  (Gen. 
xxxi.  35).  He  afterwards  styled  one  of  them  Adonai,  with  the  pecu- 
liar vowel  pointing  which  limits  it  to  the  Supreme  Being.  He  at  the 
same  time  calls  himself  his  servant,  appeals  to  his  grace  and  mercy, 
and  ascribes  to  him  his  deliverance.  The  person  thus  addressed 
replies,  in  a  tone  of  independence  and  authority,  "  I  have  accepted 
thee."  "  I  will  not  overthrow  this  city  for  which  thou  hast  spoken." 
"  I  cannot  do  anything  till  thou  go  thither."  All  these  circumstances 
point  to  a  divine  personage,  and  are  not  so  easily  explained  of  a  mere 
delegate.  He  is  preeminently  the  Saviour,  as  he  who  communed  with 
Abraham  was  the  hearer  of  prayer.  And  he  who  hears  prayer  and 
caves  life,  appears  also  as  the  executor  of  his  purpose  in  the  over- 
throw of  Sodom  and  the  other  cities  of  the  vale.  It  is  remarkable 
that  only  two  of  the  three  who  appeared  to  Abraham  are  called  angels. 
Of  the  persons  in  the  divine  essence  two  might  be  the  angels  or  dep- 
uties of  the  primary  in  the  discharge  of  the  divine  purpose.  These 
three  men,  then,  either  immediately  represent,  or,  if  created  angels, 
mediately  shadow  forth  persons  in  the  Godhead.  Their  number 
indicates  that  the  persons  in  the  divine  unity  are  three. 

Lot   seems   to  have  recognized  something  extraordinary  in  their 
appearance,  for  he  made  a  lowly  obeisance  to  them.     The  Sodomites 
41 


322  DESTRUCTION  OF  SODOM  AJSB  AMORAH. 

heed  not  the  strangers.  Lot's  invitation,  at  first  declined,  is  at  length 
accepted,  because  Lot  is  approved  of  God  as  righteous,  and  excepted 
from  the  doom  of  the  city. 

4-1 L  The  wicked  violence  of  the  citizens  displays  itself.  4,  5. 
They  compass  the  house,  and  demand  the  men  for  the  vilest  ends. 
6-8.  How  familiar  Lot  had  become  with  vice,  when  any  necessity 
whatever  could  induce  him  to  offer  his  daughters  to  the  lust  of  these 
Sodomites  !  We  may  suppose  it  was  spoken  rashly,  in  the  heat  of  the 
moment,  and  with  the  expectation  that  he  would  not  be  taken  at  his 
word.  So  it  turned  out.  9.  Stand  back.  This  seems  to  be  a  menace 
to  frighten  Lot  out  of  the  way  of  their  perverse  will.  It  is  probable, 
indeed,  that  he  and  his  family  would  not  have  been  so  long  safe  in  this 
wicked  place,  had  he  not  been  the  occasion  of  a  great  deliverance  to 
the  whole  city  when  they  were  carried  away  by  the  four  kings.  The 
threat  is  followed  by  a  taunt,  when  the  sorely  vexed  host  hesitated  to 
give  up  the  strangers.  He  will  needs  he  a  judge.  It  is  evident  Lot 
had  been  in  the  habit  of  remonstrating  with  them.  From  threats  and 
taunts  they  soon  proceed  to  violence.  10,  11.  His  guests  now  inter- 
fere. They  rescue  Lot,  and  smite  the  rioters  with  blindness,  or  a 
wandering  of  the  senses,  so  that  they  cannot  find  the  door.  This 
ebullition  of  the  vilest  passion  seals  the  doom  of  the  city. 

12-23.  The  visitors  now  take  steps  for  the  deliverance  of  Lot  and 
'his  kindred  before  the  destruction  of  the  cities.  12-14.  All  that  are 
related  to  him  are  included  in  the  offer  of  deliverance.  There  is  a 
blessing  in  being  connected  with  the  righteous,  if  men  will  but  avail 
themselves  of  it.  15,  IG.  Lot  seems  bewildered  by  the  contemptuous 
refusal  of  his  connections  to  leave  the  place.  His  early  choice  and 
his  growing  habits  have  attached  him  to  the  place,  notwithstanding  its 
temptations.  His  married  daughters,  or  at  least  the  intended  husbands 
of  the  two  who  were  at  home  ("  who  are  here"),  are  to  be  left  behind. 
But  though  these  thoughts  make  him  linger,  the  mercy  of  the  Lord 
prevails.  The  angels  use  a  little  violence  to  hasten  their  escape.  1 7. 
The  mountain  was  preserved  by  its  elevation  from  the  flood  of  rain, 
sulphur,  and  fire  which  descended  on  the  low  ground  on  which  the 
'cities  were  built.  18-22.  Lot  begs  for  a  small  town  to  which  he  may 
Tetreat,  as  he  shrinks  from  the  perils  of  a  mountain  dwelling,  and  his 
request  is  mercifully  granted. 

24—26.  Then  follows  the  overthrow  of  the  cities.  The  Lord  rained 
hrimstone  and  Jire  from  the  Lord  from  the  shies.  Here  the  Lord  is 
;represented  as  present  in  tlie  skies,  whence  the  stonn  of  desolation 


GEN.  XIX.  323 

comes,  and  on  the  earth  where  it  falls.     The  dale  of  Siddim,  in  which 
the  cities  were,  appears  to  have  abounded  in  asphalt  and  other  com- 
bustible materials  (Gen.  xiv,  10).     The  district  was  liable  to  earth- 
quakes and  volcanic  eruptions  from  the  earliest  to  the  latest  times. 
We  read  of  an  earthquake  in  the  days  of  king  Uzziah  (Am.  i,  1). 
An  earthquake  in  1759  destroyed  many  thousands  of  persons  in  the 
valley  of  Baalbec.     Josephus   {De  Bell.  Jud.  iii.  10,  7)  reports  that 
the  Salt  Sea  sends  up  in  many  places  black  masses  of  asphalt,  which 
are  not  unlike  headless  bulls  in  shape  and  size.     After  an  earthquake 
in  1804,  masses  of  asphalt  were  thrown  up  from  the  bottom,  and  in 
1837  a  similar  cause  was  attended  with  similar  effects.     The  lake  lies 
in  the  lowest  part  of  the  valley  of  the  Jordan,  and  its  surface  is  about 
thirteen  hundred  feet  below  the  level  of  the  sea.     In  such  a  hollow, 
exposed  to  the  burning  rays  of  an  unclouded  sun,  its  waters  evaporate 
as  much  as  it  receives  by  the  influx  of  the  Jordan.     Its  present  area 
is  about  forty-five  miles  by  eight.     A  peninsula  pushes  into  it  from  the 
east  called  the  Lisan,  or  tongue,  the  north  point   of  which  is  about 
twenty  miles  from  the  south  end  of  the  lake.     North  of  this  point  the 
depth  is  from  forty  to  two  hundred  and  eighteen  fathoms.     This  south- 
ern part  of  the  lake  seems  to  have  been  the  original  dale  of  Siddim,  in 
which  were  the  cities  of  the  vale.     The  remarkable  salt  hills  lying  on 
the  south  of  the  lake  are  still  called  Khashm  Usdum  (Sodom),     A 
tremendous  storm,  accompanied  with  flashes  of  lightning,  and  torrents 
of  rain,  impregnated  with  sulphur,  descended  upon  the  doomed  cities. 
From  the  injunction  to  Lot  to  Jiee  to  the  mountain,  as  well  as  from  the 
nature  of  the  soil,  we  may  infer  that  at  the  same  time  with  the  awful 
conflagration  there  was  a  subsidence  of  the  ground,  so  that  the  waters 
of  the  upper  and  original  lake  flowed  in  upon  the  former  fertile  and 
populous  dale,  and  formed  the  shallow  southern  part  of  the  present 
Salt  Sea.     In  this  pool  of  melting  asjihalt  and   sweltering,  seething 
waters,  the  cities  seem  to  have  sunk  forever,  and  left  behind  them  no 
vestiges  of  their  existence.     Lot's  wife  lingering  behind  her  husband, 
and  looking  back,  contrary  to  the  express  command  of  the  Lord,  is 
caught  in  the  sweeping  tempest,  and  becomes  a  pillar  of  salt :  so  nar- 
row was  the  escape  of  Lot.     The  dashing  spray  of  the  salt  sulphurous 
rain  seems  to  have  suffocated  her,  and  then  enci'usted  her  whole  body. 
She  may  have  burned  to  a  cinder  in  the  furious  conflagration.     She  is 
a  memorable  example  of  the  indignation  and  wrath  that  overtakes  the 
halting  and  the  backsliding. 

27-29.  Abraham  rises  early  on  the  following  morning,  to  see  what 


324  ABRAHAM  IN  GEEAR. 

had  become  of  the  city  for  which  he  had  interceded  so  earnestly,  and 
views  from  afar  the  scene  of  smoking  desolation.  Remembex'ing 
Abraham,  who  was  Lot's  uncle,  and  had  him  probably  in  mind  in  his 
importunate  pleading,  God  delivered  Lot  from  this  awful  overthrow. 
The  Eternal  is  here  designated  by  the  name  Elohim,  the  Everlast- 
ing, because  in  the  war  of  elements  in  which  the  cities  were  over- 
whelmed, the  eternal  potencies  of  his  nature  were  signally  displayed. 

30-38.  The  descendants  of  Lot.  Bewildered  by  the  narrowness 
of  his  escape,  and  the  awful  death  of  his  wife,  Lot  seems  to  have  left 
Zoar,  and  taken  to  the  mountain  west  of  the  Salt  Sea,  in  terror  of 
impending  ruin.  It  is  not  improbable  that  all  the  inhabitants  of  Zoar, 
panic-struck,  may  have  fled  from  the  region  of  danger,  and  dispersed 
themselves  for  a  time  through  the  adjacent  mountains.  He  was  now  far 
from  the  habitations  of  men,  with  his  two  daughters  as  his  only  com- 
panions. 32-36.  The  manners  of  Sodom  here  obtrude  themselves 
upon  our  view.  Lot's  daughters  might  seem  to  have  been  led  to  this 
unnatural  project,  first,  because  they  thought  the  human  race  extinct 
with  the  exception  of  themselves,  in  which  case  their  conduct  may 
have  seemed  a  work  of  justifiable  necessity ;  and  next,  because  the 
degrees  of  kindred  within  which  it  was  unlawful  to  marry  had  not 
been  determined  by  an  express  law.  But  they  must  have  seen  some 
of  the  inhabitants  of  Zoar  after  the  destruction  of  the  cities ;  and  car- 
nal intercourse  between  parent  and  offspring  must  have  been  always 
repugnant  to  nature.  37,  38.  Unto  this  day.  This  phrase  indicates  a 
variable  period,  from  a  few  years  to  a  few  centuries :  a  few  years,  not 
more  than  seven,  as  Jos.  xxii.  3  ;  part  of  a  lifetime,  as  Num.  xxii.  39, 
Jas.  vi.  25,  Gen.  xlviii.  15  ;  and  some  centuries,  as  Exod.  x.  6.  This 
passage  may  therefore  have  been  written  by  one  much  earlier  than 
Moses.  Moab  afterwards  occupied  the  district  south  of  the  Arnon,  and 
east  of  the  Salt  Sea.  Amnion  dwelt  to  the  northeast  of  Moab,  where 
they  had  a  capital  called  Rabbah.  They  both  ultimately  merged  into 
the  more  general  class  of  the  Arabs,  as  a  second  Palgite  element. 


XLVI.  ABRAHAM  IN  GERAR.  — Gen.  xx. 

2.  T|^a'';s!S;  Abimelekh, /a^Aer  of  the  king. 

7.  Sins  prophet,  he  who  speaks  by  God,  of  God,  and  to  God,  who 
declares  to   men  not  merely  things  future,  but  also  things  past  and 


GEN.  XX.  325 

present,  that  are  not  obvious  to  the  sense  or  the  reason ;  r.  flow,  go 
forth. 

13.  iiyp.f;  is  plural  in  punctuation,  agreeing  grammatically  with 
^I'^r'^?,-  "Vau,  however,  may  be  regarded  as  the  third  radical,  and  the 
verb  may  thus  really  be  singular. 

16.  ntiDD  an  unusual  form,  either  for  nnsb  2d  s.  f.  perfect  or  nn^b 
3d  s.  f  perf ,  from  a  verb  signifying  in  hiphil,  make  straight,  right. 

17.  n^x  hand-maid,  free  or  bond.  Jinso  hond-maid  (1  Sam.  xxv. 
41). 

XX.  1.  And  Abraham  journeyed  thence  to  the  land  of  the 
south,  and  dwelled  between  Kadesh  and  Shur,  and  he  so- 
journed in  Gerar.  2.  And  Abraham  said  of  Sarah  his  wife,  She 
is  my  sister :  and  Abimelek  king  of  Gerar  sent  and  took  Sarah. 
3.  And  God  came  to  Abimelek  in  a  dream  by  night,  and  said 
to  him,  Behold,  thou  wilt  die  on  account  of  the  woman  whom 
thou  hast  taken  ;  for  she  is  a  man's  wife.  4.  And  Abimelek 
had  not  come  near  her :  and  he  said,  Lokd,  wilt  thou  slay  a 
righteous  nation  also  ?  5.  Said  he  not  unto  me,  She  is  my  sister  ? 
And  she,  even  herself,  said,  He  is  my  brother.  In  the  integ- 
rity of  my  heart  and  innocency  of  my  hands  have  I  done  this. 
6.  And  the  God  said  unto  him  in  the  dream,  I  also  know  that  in 
the  integrity  of  thy  heart  thou  hast  done  this  ;  I  also,  I  withheld 
thee  from  sinning  against  me :  therefore  suffered  I  thee  not  to 
touch  her.  7.  And  now  restore  the  man's  wife ;  for  he  is  a 
prophet,  and  he  shall  pray  for  thee,  and  thou  shalt  live :  but 
if  thou  restore  her  not,  know  that  die,  die  shalt  thou,  thou, 
and  all  that  are  thine. 

8.  And  Abimelek  rose  early  in  the  morning,  and  called 
all  his  servants,  and  spake  all  these  words  in  their  ears :  and 
the  men  were  sore  afraid.  9.  Then  Abimelek  called  Abraham, 
and  said  unto  him.  What  hast  thou  done  unto  us  ?  And  how 
have  I  sinned  against  thee,  that  thou  hast  brought  on  me  and 
on  my  kingdom  a  great  sin?  Deeds  that  ought  not  to  be 
done  hast  thou  done  unto  me.  10.  And  Abimelek  said  unto 
Abraham,  What  sawest  thou,  that  thou  hast  done  this  thing  ? 
11.  And  Abraham  said,  Because  I  said,  Surely  the  fear  of  God 


326  ABRAHAM  IN  GERAR. 

is  not  in  this  place  :  and  they  will  slay  me  on  account  of  my 
wife.  12.  And  yet  in  truth  she  is  my  sister,  the  daughter  of 
my  father,  but  not  the  daughter  of  my  mother ;  and  she  became 
my  wife.  13.  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  God  caused  me  to 
wander  from  my  father's  house,  that  I  said  unto  her,  This  is 
thy  kindness  which  thou  shalt  do  unto  me  ;  at  every  place 
whither  we  shall  go,  say  of  me,  He  is  my  brother. 

14.  And  Abimelek  took  sheep  and  oxen  and  men-servants 
and  maid-servants  and  gave  unto  Abraham ;  and  restored  him 
Sarah  his  wife.  15.  And  Abimelek  said,  Behold,  my  land  is 
before  thee  ;  dwell  where  it  is  good  in  thine  eyes.  16.  And 
unto  Sarah  he  said.  Behold,  I  have  given  a  thousand  silver 
pieces  to  thy  brother ;  behold,  this  is  for  thee  a  covering  of 
the  eyes  unto  all  that  are  with  thee ;  and  all  this  that  thou 
mayest  be  righted.  17.  Then  Abraham  prayed  to  God:  and 
God  healed  Abimelek  and  his  wife  and  his  handmaids ;  and 
they  bare.  18.  For  the  Lord  had  fast  closed  up  every  womb 
in  the  house  of  Abimelek,  on  account  of  Sarah,  Abraham's 
wife.  §  32. 

The  concealment  of  his  relation  to  Sarah  calls  to  our  mind  a  similar 
act  of  Abraham  recorded  not  many  pages  back.  We  are  to  remember, 
however,  that  an  interval  of  twenty -four  years  has  elapsed  since  that 
event.  From  the  present  passage  we  learn  that  this  was  an  old 
agreement  between  him  and  his  wife,  while  they  were  wandering 
among  strangers.  It  appears  that  Abraham  was  not  yet  conscious  of 
anything  wrong  or  even  imprudent  in  this  piece  of  policy.  He  there- 
fore practises  it  without  any  hesitation.  On  this  occasion  he  appears 
for  the  first  time  as  a  prophet.  He  is  the  first  of  this  order  introduced 
to  our  notice  in  the  Old  Testament,  though  Henok  had  prophesied  at 
an  earlier  period  (Jude  14),  and  Noah's  benediction  was,  at  the  same 
time,  a  prediction. 

1-7.  Abimelek  takes  Sarah.  1.  Abraham  had  been  dwelling  near 
Hebron.  But  the  total  separation  between  him  and  Lot,  and  the 
awful  overthrow  of  Sodom  and  Amorah  in  the  vicinity,  may  have 
loosened  his  tie  to  Hebron,  and  rendered  it  for  the  present  not  an 
agreeable   place  of  residence.     He  tlierefore  travels   southward  and 


GEN.  XX.  327 

takes  up  his  abode  at  Gerar  (see  on  Gen,  x.  19).  2.  Sarah,  though 
now  eighty-nine  years  of  age,  was  as  youthful  in  look  as  a  person  of 
forty  would  now  be.  She  had,  moreover,  had  no  family,  was  remarkable 
for  her  good  looks,  and  was  at  present,  no  doubt,  renewed  in  health 
and  vigor  (Gen.  xii.  11-16). 

3-7.  The  Supreme  Being  here  appears  as  God  (Elohim),  and 
therefore  in  his  eternal  power  and  independence,  as  he  was  antecedent 
to  the  creation  of  man.  He  communicates  with  Abimelek  in  a  dream. 
This  prince  addresses  him  as  Adonai,  Lord.  "We  have  already  seen 
that  the  knowledge  of  the  true  God  had  not  yet  disappeared  from  the 
Gentile  world,  who  were  under  the  Noachic  covenant.  3.  Tliou  wilt 
die.  Thou  art  dying  or  at  the  point  of  death  if  thou  persist,  A 
deadly  plague  was  already  in  the  body  of  Abimelek,  on  account  of 
Sarah.  4.  Wilt  thou  slay  a  righteous  nation  also  ?  Abimelek  asso- 
ciates his  nation  with  himself,  and  expects  that  the  fatal  stroke  will 
not  be  confined  to  his  own  person.  5-7.  He  pleads  his  integrity  in 
the  matter,  which  the  Lord  acknowledges.  Gentiles  sometimes  act 
according  to  the  dictates  of  conscience,  which  still  lives  in  them,  though 
it  be  obscured  by  sin.  Abimelek  was  innocent  in  regard  to  the  "  great 
sin  "  of  seizing  another  man's  wife,  of  which  God  acquitted  him.  He 
was  wrong  in  appropriating  a  woman  to  himself  by  mere  stretch  of 
power,  and  in  adding  wife  to  wife.  But  these  were  common  customs 
of  the  time,  for  which  his  conscience  did  not  upbraid  him  in  his  plead- 
ing with  God.  And  the  God.  The  presence  of  the  definite  article 
seems  to  intimate  a  contrast  of  the  true  God  with  the  false  gods  to 
which  the  Gentiles  were  fast  turning.  Abimelek  was  at  least  in  the 
doubtful  ground  on  the  borders  of  polytheism. 

7.  Abraham  is  here  designated  by  the  Lord  a  prophet.  This  con- 
stituted at  once  the  gravity  of  Abimelek's  offence  (Ps.  cv.  15),  and 
the  ground  of  his  hope  of  pardon.  It  is  at  the  same  time  a  step  in 
advance  of  all  the  previous  spiritual  attainments  of  Abraham.  A 
prophet  is  God's  spokesman,  who  utters  with  authority  certain  of  the 
things  of  God  (Ex.  vii.  1,  iv.  15).  This  implies  two  things:  first, 
the  things  of  God  are  known  only  to  him,  and  therefore  must  be  com- 
municated by  him  ;  secondly,  the  prophet  must  be  enabled  of  God  to 
announce  in  correct  terms  the  things  made  known  to  him.  These 
things  refer  not  only  to  the  future,  but  in  general  to  all  such  matters 
as  fall  within  the  purpose  and  procedure  of  God.  They  may  even 
include  things  otherwise  known  or  knowable  by  man,*so  far  as  these 
are  necessary  to  the  exposition  of  the  divine  will.     Now  Abraham 


328  ABRAHAM  IN  GERAR. 

has  heretofore  received  many  communications  from  God.  But  this 
did  not  constitute  him  a  prophet.  It  is  the  divinely  authorized  utter- 
ance of  new  truth  which  raises  him  to  this  rank.  And  Abraham's 
first  exercise  in  prophecy  is  not  in  speaking  to  men  of  God,  but  to 
God  for  men.  He  shall  pray  for  thee.  The  prophetic  and  the  priestly 
offices  go  together  in  the  father  of  the  faithful.  These  dignities  belong 
to  him,  not  from  any  absolute  merit,  for  this  he  has  not,  but  from  his 
call  to  be  the  holder  of  the  promise,  and  the  father  of  that  seed  to 
whom  the  promises  were  made. 

8-13.  Abimelek  retraces  his  steps,  and  rectifies  his  conduct.  He 
makes  known  his  dream  to  his  assembled  court,  who  are  filled  with 
astonishment  and  apprehension.  He  then  calls  Abraham,  and  in  bold 
and  manly  style  remonstrates  with  him  for  leading  him  into  error  and 
sin.  10.  Abraham  is  apparently  silent  from  confusion  and  self-con- 
demnation. Abimelek,  after  a  pause,  demands  of  him  liis  reason  for 
so  doing.  11-13.  Abraham  now  replies  with  gi'eat  simplicity  and 
candor.  He  had  said  within  himself,  "  The  fear  of  God  is  not  in  this 
place,"  This  is  another  indication  that  polytheism  was  setting  in.  He 
concluded  that  his  life  would  be  in  danger  on  account  of  his  wife,  and 
resorted  to  his  wonted  expedient  for  safety.  He  had  learned  to  trust 
in  the  Lord  in  all  things ;  but  he  did  not  think  this  inconsistent  with 
using  all  lawful  means  for  personal  security,  and  he  was  not  yet  fully 
alive  to  the  unlawfulness  of  his  usual  pretence.  He  pleads  also  in 
extenuation  that  she  is  in  reality  his  sister  (see  Gen.  ii.  29,  30).  13. 
Caused  me  to  wander.  The  verb  here  is  not  necessarily  plural.  But 
if  it  be,  it  is  only  an  instance  of  the  literal  meaning  of  Elohim,  the 
Eternal  Supernatural  Powers,  coming  into  view.  Thy  kindness.  The 
old  compact  of  Abraham  with  Sarah  tended  to  palliate  his  conduct  in 
the  eyes  of  Abimelek,  as  he  would  see  that  it  had  no  special  I'eference 
to  himself. 

14-18.  Abimelek  seems  to  have  accepted  his  apolog}^,  as  he  probably 
felt  that  there  was  truth  in  the  character  Abraham  gave  of  his  people, 
and  was  precluded  from  resenting  it  by  the  salutary  impression  of  his 
dream ;  while  at  the  same  time  Abraham's  mode  of  avoiding  danger 
appeared  warrantable  according  to  his  own  and  the  common  code  of 
morals.  He  therefore  hastens  to  make  honorable  amends  for  his  con- 
duct. He  makes  Abraham  a  valuable  present,  restores  his  wife,  and 
makes  him  free  to  dwell  in  any  part  of  his  dominions.  1 G.  He  then 
accosts  Sarah  in  respectful  terms,  informing  her  that  he  had  presented 
her  brother  with  one  thousand  silver  pieces,  probably  shekels,  on  her 


GEN.  XXI.  329 

account.  He  does  not  offer  this  directly  to  herself,  that  it  may  be  dis- 
tinctly understood  that  her  honor  was  unstained.  This  may  refer  either 
to  Abraham  or  to  the  sum  of  money.  Tlie  latter  is  more  natural,  as 
the  sentence  then  affords  a  reason  for  addressing  Sarah,  and  mentioning 
this  particular  gift.  A  covering  of  the  eyes  does  not  mean  a  veil,  the 
proper  word  for  which  is  ri"^<S,  but  is  a  figurative  phrase  for  a  recom- 
pense or  pacificatory  offering,  in  consideration  of  which  an  offence  is 
overlooked.  Unto  all  that  are  with  thee.  All  her  family  were  con- 
cerned in  this  public  vindication  of  her  character.  And  all  this  that 
thou  mayest  bs  righted.  The  original  of  this  is  most  naturally  taken 
as  a  part  of  Abimelek's  speech,  and  then  it  is  to  be  translated  as  above. 
All  this  has  been  done  or  given  that  the  injury  to  Sarah  may  be  re- 
dressed. If  the  original  be  regarded  as  a  part  of  the  narrative,  it  must 
be  rendered,  "And  all  this  (was  done)  that  she  might  be  righted." 
The  sense  is  the  same  in  substance.  In  the  former  case  the  verb  is  in 
the  second  person,  in  the  latter  in  the  third. 

17,  18.  These  verses  record  the  fact  of  Abraham's  intercession  for 
Abimelek,  and  explain  in  what  sense  he  was  on  the  point  of  dying 
(v.  3).  They  bare  means  that  they  were  again  rendered  capable  of 
procreating  children,  and  in  the  natural  course  of  things  did  so.  The 
verb  is  in  the  masculine  form,  because  both  males  and  females  were 
involved  in  this  judicial  malady.  The  name  Jehovah  is  employed  at 
the  end  of  the  chapter,  because  the  relation  of  the  Creator  and  Pre- 
server to  Sarah  is  there  prominent. 


XLVII.    BIRTH  OF  ISAAC.  —  Gen.  xxi. 

7.  Vsp^  speak,  an  ancient  and  therefore  solemn  and  poetical  word. 
14.  r^n  bottle,  akin  to  !~.rn  surround,  enclose,  and  fiiin  black.     ^'A'd. 
S^a  Beer-sheba',  well  of  seven. 

22.  bb-'Q  Pikhol,  month  or  spokesman  of  all. 

23.  "fi    offspring,  kin ;  v.   sprout,  flourish,     nra  progeny,   perhaps 
acquaintance,  cognate  with  'iSS  be  before  (the  eyes)  and  np5  mark. 

33.  ^iTiji  grove  ;  apovpa,  LXX. ;  nnbi5<  a  tree,  Onk. 

XXI.     1.  And  tho  Lord  had  visited  Sarah  as  he  had  said. 
Aiid  the  Lord  did  unto  Sarah  as  ho   had   spoken.     2.  And 
42 


330  BIRTH  OF  ISAAC. 

Sarah  conceived,  and  bare  Abraham  a  son  m  liis  old  age,  at 
the  set  time  of  which  God  had  spoken  to  him.  3.  And  Abra- 
ham called  the  name  of  his  son  that  was  born  unto  him,  whom 
Sarah  bare  to  him,  Isaac.  4.  And  Abraham  circumcised  Isaac 
his  son,  being  the  son  of  eight  days,  as  God  had  commanded 
him.  5.  And  Abraham  Avas  the  son  of  a  hundred  years,  when 
Isaac  his  son  was  born  unto  him.  6.  And  Sarah  said,  God 
hath  made  me  to  laugh  ;  all  that  hear  will  laugh  with  me. 

7.  And  she  said.  Who  had  said  unto  Abraham,  Sarah  hath 
suckled  children  ?  for  I  liave  borne  him  a  son  in  his  old  age. 

8.  And  the  child  grew,  and  was  weaned ;  and  Abraham  made 
a  great  feast  in  the  day  that  Isaac  was  weaned. 

9.  And  Sarah  saw  the  son  of  Hagar  the  Mizrite,  whom  she 
had  borne  unto  Abraham,  laughing.  10.  And  she  said  unto 
Abraham,  Cast  out  this  handmaid  and  her  son  :  for  the  son 
of  this  handmaid  shall  not  be  heir  with  my  son,  with  Isaac. 
11.  And  the  word  was  very  grievous  in  Abraham's  eyes,  on 
account  o'f  his  son.  12.  And  God  said  unto  Abraham,  Lot  it 
not  be  grievous  in  thine  eyes  ]:)ecause  of  the  lad,  and  because 
of  thy  handmaid  :  in  all  that  Sarah  saitli  unto  thco,  hearken 
unto  lier  voice  ;  for  in  Isaac  shall  t]iy  seed  be  called.  13.  And 
also  the  son  of  the  handmaid  will  I  make  a  nation,  because 
he  is  thy  seed.  14.  And  Abraham  rose  up  early  in  tlio  morn- 
ing, and  took  bread,  and  a  bottle  of  water,  and  gave  unto 
Hagar,  putting  it  on  her  shoulder,  and  the  lad,  and  sent  her 
av/ay  :  and  she  went  and  wandered  in  the  wilderness  of  Beer- 
shcba.  15.  And  the  water  was  spent  in  the  bottle,  and  she 
laid  the  lad  under  one  of  the  shrubs.  16.  And  she  went  and 
sat  by  herself  apart,  as  far  as  they  shoot  the  bow  :  for  she  said, 
Lot  me  not  see  tlie  death  of  the  lad.  And  she  sat  apart,  and 
lifted  up  her  voice  and  wept. 

17.  And  God  heard  the  voice  of  the  lad,  and  an  angel  of 
God  called  to  Hagar  out  of  heaven,  and  said  unto  her.  What 
aileth  thee,  Hagar  ?  fear  not :  for  God  hath  heard  the  voice 
of  the  lad  where  ho  is.     18.  Arih:e,  lift  up  the  lad,  and  liold 


GEN.  XXI.  331 

thy  hand  upon  him  :  for  I  will  make  him  a  great  nation.  19. 
And  God  opened  her  eyes,  and  she  saw  a  well  of  water  ;  and 
she  went  and  filled  the  bottle  with  water,  and  gave  the  lad 
drink.  20.  And  God  was  with  the  lad,  and  he  grew  ;  and  he 
dwelt  in  the  wilderness,  and  became  an  archer.  21.  And  he 
dwelt  in  the  wilderness  of  Paran  ;  and  his  mother  took  him  a 
wife  out  of  the  land  of  Mizraim.  II  20. 

22.  And  it  came  to  pass  at  that  time  that  Abimelek  and  Phi- 
kol,  the  captain  of  his  host,  said  unto  Abraham,  saying,  God 
is  with  thee  in  all  that  thou  doest.  23.  And  now  swear  unto 
me  by  God  here,  that  thou  wilt  not  deal  falsely  with  me,  nor 
with  my  kin  and  kith  :  according  to  the  kindness  that  I  have 
done  unto  thee,  shalt  thou  do  unto  me,  and  to  the  land  where- 
in thou  hast  sojourned.  24.  And  Abraham  said,  I  will  swear. 
25.  And  Abraham  reproved  Abimelek  on  account  of  the  well 
of  water  which  Abimelek's  servants  had  seized.  26.  And 
Abimelek  said,  I  wot  not  who  hath  done  this  thing :  and  thou 
also  hadst  not  told  me,  and  I  also  had  not  heard  of  it  but  to- 
day. 27.  And  Abraham  took  sheep  and  oxen,  and  gave  unto 
Abimelek :  and  both  of  them  made  a  covenant.  28.  And 
Abraham  set  seven  ewe-lambs  of  the  flock  by  themselves. 
29.  And  Abimelek  said  unto  Abraham,  What  are  these  seven 
ewe-lambs  which  thou  hast  set  by  themselves  ?  30.  And  he 
said.  For  the  seven  ewe-lambs  shalt  thou  take  of  my  hand, 
that  it  may  be  a  witness  to  me  that  I  have  digged  this  well. 
81.  "Wherefore  he  called  that  place  Beer-sheba,  because  there 
they  sware  both  of  them.  32.  And  they  made  a  covenant  at 
Beer-sheba:  then  rose  up  Abimelek  and  Phikol  the  captain 
of  his  host,  and  returned  into  the  land  of  the  Philistines. 
33.  And  he  planted  a  grove  in  Beer-sheba,  and  called  there 
on  the  name  of  the  Lord,  the  God  of  eternity.  34.  And 
Abraham  sojourned  in  the  land  of  the  Philistines  many 
days.  IT  21. 

This  chapter  records  the  birth  of  Isaac  with  other  concomitant  cir- 


332 


BIETH  OF  ISAAC. 


cumstances.  This  is  the  beginning  of  the  fulfilment  of  the  second 
part  of  the  covenant  with  Abraham  —  that  concerning  the  seed  This 
precedes,  we  observe,  his  possession  of  even  a  foot-breadth  of  the  soil, 
and  is  long  antecedent  to  the  entrance  of  his  descendants  as  conquerors 
into  the  land  of  promise. 

1-8.  Isaac  is  born  according  to  promise,  and  grows  to  be  weaned. 
1.  Tlie  Lord  had  visited  Sarah.  It  is  possible  that  this  event  may 
have  occurred  before  the  patriarchal  pair  arrived  in  Gerar.  To  visit, 
is  to  draw  near  to  a  person  for  the  purpose  of  either  chastising  or  con- 
ferring a  favor.  The  Lord  had  been  faithful  to  his  gracious  promise 
to  Sarah.  He  did  as  he  had  spoken.  The  object  of  the  visit  was 
accomplished.  2-5.  In  due  time  she  bears  a  son,  whom  Abraham,  in 
accordance  with  the  divine  command,  calls  Isaac,  and  circumcises  on 
the  eighth  day.  Abraham  was  now  a  hundred  years  old,  and  there- 
fore Isaac  was  born  thirty  years  after  the  call.  G,  7.  Sarah  expressed 
her  grateful  wonder  in  two  somewhat  poetic  strains.  The  first,  consist- 
ing of  two  sentences,  turns  on  the  word  laugh.  This  is  no  longer  the 
laugh  of  delight  mingled  with  doubt,  but  that  of  wonder  and  joy  at  the 
power  of  the  Lord  overcoming  the  impotence  of  the  aged  mother. 
The  second  strain  of  three  sentences  turns  upon  the  object  of  this 
admiring  joy.  The  event  that  nobody  ever  expected  to  hear  announced 
to  Abraham,  has  nevertheless  taken  place  •,for  I  have  home  him  a  son 
in  his  old  age.  8.  The  time  of  weaning,  the  second  step  of  the  child 
to  individual  existence,  at  length  arrives,  and  the  household  of  Abra- 
ham make  merry,  as  was  wont,  on  the  festive  occasion.  The  infant 
was  usually  weaned  in  the  second  or  third  year  (1  Sam.  i.  22-24; 
2  Chron.  xxxi.  10).  The  child  seems  to  have  remained  for  the  first 
five  years  under  the  special  care  of  the  mother  (Lev.  xxvii.  G).  The 
son  then  came  under  tiie  management  of  the  father. 

9-21.  The  dismissal  of  Hagar  and  Ishmael.  The  son  of  Hagar . . . 
laughing.  The  birth  of  Isaac  has  made  a  great  change  in  the  position 
of  Ishmael,  now  at  the  age  of  at  least  fifteen  years.  He  was  not  now, 
as  formerly,  the  chief  object  of  attention,  and  some  bitterness  of  feel- 
ing may  have  arisen  on  this  account.  His  laugh  was  therefore  the 
laugh  of  derision.  Rightly  was  the  child  of  promise  named  Isaac,  the 
one  at  whom  all  laugh  with  various  feelings  of  incredulity,  wonder, 
gladness,  and  scorn.  Sarah  cannot  brook  the  insolence  of  Ishmael, 
and  demands  his  dismissal.  11-13.  This  was  painful  to  Abraham. 
Nevertheless,  God  enjoins  it  as  reasonable,  on  the  ground  that  in  Isaac 
v,'as  his  seed  to  be  called.     This  means  not  only  that  Isaac  was  to  be 


GEN.  XXI.  333 

called  his  seed,  but  in  Isaac  as  the  progenitor  was  included  the  seed  of 
Abraham  in  the  highest  and  utmost  sense  of  the  phrase.  From  him 
the  holy  seed  was  to  spring  that  was  to  be  the  agent  in  eventually 
bringing  the  whole  race  agiiin  under  the  covenant  of  Noah,  in  that 
higher  form  which  it  assumes  in  the  New  Testament.  Abraham  is 
comforted  in  this  separation  with  a  renewal  of  the  promise  concerning 
Ishmael  (Gen.  xvii.  20).  14.  He  proceeds  with  all  singleness  of 
heart  and  denial  of  self  to  dismiss  the  mother  and  the  son.  This  sep- 
aration from  the  family  of  Abraham  was,  no  doubt,  distressing  to  the 
feelings  of  the  parties  concerned.  But  it  involved  no  material  hard- 
ship to  those  who  departed,  and  conferred  certain  real  advantages. 
Hagar  obtained  lier  freedom.  Ishmael,  though  called  a  lad,  was  at  an 
age  when  it  is  not  unusual  in  the  East  to  marry  and  provide  for  one's 
self.  And  their  departure  did  not  imply  their  exclusion  from  the  priv- 
ileges of  communion  with  God,  as  they  might  still  be  under  the  cov- 
enant with  Abraham,  since  Ishmael  had  been  circumcised,  and,  at  all 
events,  were  under  the  broader  covenant  of  Noah.  It  was  only  their 
own  voluntary  rejection  of  God  and  his  mercy,  whether  before  or  after 
their  departure,  that  could  cut  them  off  from  the  promise  of  eternal 
life.  It  seems  likely  that  Hagar  and  Ishmael  had  so  behaved  as  to 
deserv^e  their  dismissal  from  the  sacred  home.  A  bottle  of  water.  This 
was  probably  a  kid-skin  bottle,  as  Hagar  could  not  have  carried  a  goat- 
skin. Its  contents  were  precious  in  the  wilderness,  but  soon  exhausted. 
And  the  lad.  He  took  the  lad  and  gave  him  to  Hagar.  The  bread 
and  water-skin  were  on  her  shoulder ;  the  lad  she  held  by  the  hand. 
In  the  wilderness  of  Beer-sheba.  It  is  possible  that  the  departure  of 
Hagar  occurred  after  the  league  with  Abimelek  and  the  naming  of 
Beer-sheba,  though  coming  in  here  naturally  as  the  sequel  of  the  birth 
and  weaning  of  Isaac.  The  wilderness  in  Scripture  is  simply  the  land 
not  profitable  for  cultivation,  though  fit  for  pasture  to  a  greater  or  less 
extent.  The  wilderness  of  Beer-sheba  is  that  part  of  the  wilderness 
which  was  adjacent  to  Beer-sheba,  where  probably  at  this  time  Abra- 
ham was  residing.  15,  16.  Laid  the  lad.  Ishmael  was  now,  no  doubt, 
thoroughly  humbled  as  well  as  wearied,  and  therefore  passive  under 
his  mother's  guidance.  She  led  him  to  a  sheltering  bush,  and  caused 
him  to  lie  down  in  its  shade,  resigning  herself  to  despair.  The  artless 
description  here  is  deeply  affecting. 

17-21.  The  fortunes  of  Ishmael.  God  cares  for  the  wanderers. 
He  hears  the  voice  of  the  lad,  whose,  sufferings  from  thirst  are  greater 
than  those  of  the  mother.     An  angel  is  sent,  who  addresses  Hagar  in 


334  BIRTH  OF  ISAAC. 

the  simple  words  of  encouragement  and  direction.  Hold  thy  hand 
upon  him.  Lay  thy  hand  firmly  upon  him.  The  former  pi'omise 
(Gen.  xvi.  10)  is  renewed  to  her.  God  also  opened  her  eyes  that 
she  saw  a  well  of  water,  from  which  the  bottle  is  replenished,  and  she 
and  the  lad  are  recruited  for  their  further  journey.  It  is  unnecessary 
to  determine  how  far  this  opening  of  the  eyes  was  miraculous.  It 
may  refer  to  the  cheering  of  her  mind  and  the  sharpening  of  her 
attention.  In  Scripture  the  natural  and  supernatural  are  not  always 
set  over  against  each  other  as  with  us.  All  events  are  alike  ascribed 
to  an  ever-watchful  Providence,  whether  they  flow  from  the  ordinary 
laws  of  nature  or  some  higher  law  of  the  divine  will.  20.  God  loas 
with  the  lad.  Ishmael  may  have  been  cured  of  his  childish  spleen. 
It  is  possible  also  his  father  did  not  forget  him,  but  sent  him  a  stock 
of  cattle  with  which  to  begin  the  pastoral  life  on  his  account.  He  he- 
came  an  archer.  He  grew  an  archei-,  or  multiplied  into  a  tribe  of 
archers.  21.  Paran  (Gen.  xiv.  6)  lay  south  of  Palestine,  and  there- 
fore on  the  way  to  Egypt,  out  of  which  his  mother  took  him  a  wife. 
The  Ishmaelites,  therefore,  both  root  and  branch,  were  descended  on 
the  mother's  side  from  the  Egyptians. 

22-34.  According  to  the  common  law  of  Hebrew  narrative,  this 
event  took  place  before  some  of  the  circumstances  recorded  in  the 
previous  passage  ;  probably  not  long  after  the  birth  of  Isaac.  Abime- 
lek,  accompanied  by  Philvol,  his  commander-in-chief,  proposes  to  form 
a  league  with  Abraham.  The  reason  assigned  for  this  is  that  God 
was  with  him  in  all  that  he  did.  Various  circumstances  concurred  to 
produce  this  conviction  in  Abimelek.  The  never-to-be-forgoiten  ap- 
pearance of  God  to  himself  in  a  dream  interposing  on  behalf  of  Abi'a- 
ham,  the  birth  of  Isaac,  and  the  consequent  certainty  of  his  having  an 
heir,  and  the  growing  retinue  and  affluence  of  one  who,  some  ten  years 
before,  could  lead  out  a  trained  band  of  three  hundred  and  eighteen 
men-at-arms,  were  amply  sufficient  to  prove  that  God  was  the  source 
of  his  strength.  Such  a  man  is  formidable  as  a  foe,  but  serviceable  as 
an  ally.  It  is  the  part  of  sound  policy,  therefore,  to  approach  him  and 
endeavor  to  prevail  upon  him  to  swear  by  God  not  to  deal  falsely 
with  him  or  his.  Kin  and  kith.  We  have  adopted  these  words  to 
represent  the  conversational  alliterative  phrase  of  the  original.  They 
correspond  tolerably  well  with  the  a-n-ipfjia  and  ovoixa,  seed  and  name, 
of  the  Septuagint.  Abraham  frankly  consents  to  this  oath.  This  is 
evidently  a  personal  covenant,  referring  to  existing  circumstances.  A 
similar  confederacy  had  been  already  formed  with  Aner,  Eshkol,  and 


GEN.  XXI.  335 

Mamre.  Abraham  Tvas  disposed  to  sucli  alliances,  as  they  contributed 
to  peaceful  neighborhood.  lie  was  not  in  a  condition  to  make  a 
national  covenant,  though  it  is  a  fact  that  the  Philistines  were  scarcely 
ever  wholly  subjugated  by  his  descendants. 

25,  2G.  Abraham  takes  occasion  to  remonstrate  with  Abimelek 
about  a  well  which  his  people  had  seized.  Wells  were  extremely 
valuable  in  Palestine,  on  account  of  the  long  absence  of  rain  between 
the  latter  or  vernal  rain  ending  in  March,  and  the  early  or  autumnal 
rain  beginning  in  November.  The  digging  of  a  well  was  therefore  a 
matter  of  the  greatest  moment,  and  often  gave  a  certain  title  to  the 
adjacent  fields.  Hence  the  many  disputes  about  wells,  as  the  neigh- 
boring Emirs  or  chieftains  were  jealous  of  rights  so  acquired,  and  often 
eought  to  enter  by  the  strong  hand  on  the  labors  of  patient  industry. 
27-31.  Hence  Abraham  lays  more  stress  on  a  public  attestation  that 
he  has  dug,  and  is  therefore  the  owner  of  this  well,  than  on  all  the  rest 
of  the  treaty.  Seven  is  the  number  of  sanctity,  and  therefore  of  obli- 
gation. This  number  is  accordingly  figured  in  some  part  of  the  form 
of  confederation  ;  in  the  present  case,  in  the  seven  ewe-lambs  which 
Abraham  tenders,  and  Abimelek,  in  token  of  consent,  accepts  at  his 
hand.  The  name  of  the  well  is  remarkable  as  an  instance  of  the 
various  meanings  attached  to  nearly  the  same  sound.  Even  in  He- 
brew it  means  the  well  of  seven,  or  the  well  of  the  oath,  as  the  roots 
of  seven,  and  of  the  verb  meaning  to  swear,  have  the  same  radical 
letters.     Bir  es-Seba  means  the  well  of  seven  or  of  the  lion. 

32-34.  Returned  unto  the  land  of  the  Philistines.  Beer-sheba  was 
on  the  borders  of  the  land  of  the  Pliilistines.  Going  therefore  to 
Gerar,  they  returned  into  that  land.  In  the  transactions  with  Hagar 
and  with  Abimelek,  the  name  God  is  employed,  because  the  relation 
of  the  Supreme  Being  with  these  parties  is  more  general  or  less  inti- 
mate than  with  the  heir  of  promise.  The  same  name,  however,  is 
used  in  reference  to  Abraham  and  Sarah,  who  stand  in  a  twofold  rela- 
tion to  him  as  the  Eternal  Potentate,  aud  the  Author  of  being  and 
blessing.  Hence  the  chapter  begins  and  ends  with  Jehovah,  the 
proper  name  of  God  in  communion  with  man.  33,  34.  Eshel  is  a 
field  under  tillage  in  the  Septuagint,  and  a  tree  in  Onkelos.  It  is 
therefore  well  translated  a  grove  in  the  A.  Y.,  though  it  is  rendered 
the  tamarisk  by  many.  The  planting  of  a  grove  implies  that  Abra- 
ham now  felt  lie  had  a  resting-place  in  the  land,  in  consequence  of  his 
treaty  with  Abimelek.  He  calls  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord  with  the 
significant  surname  of  the  God  of  perpetuity,  the  eternal,  unchange- 


336  ABRAHAM  PROVED. 

able  God.  This  marks  him  as  the  sure  and  able  performer  of  his 
promise,  as  the  everlasting  vindicator  of  the  faith  of  treaties,  and  as 
the  infallible  source  of  the  believer's  rest  and  peace.  Accordingly, 
Abraham  sojourned  iu  the  land  of  the  Philistines  many  days. 


XLVUI.    ABRAHAM  PROVED.  — Gen.  xxii. 

2.  tt^'l'Q  Moriah ;  Samaritan,  nx'nia ;  Septuagint,  {n//v;Xr; ;  Onkelos, 
worship.  Some  take  the  word  to  be  a  simple  derivative,  as  the  Sept.  and 
Onk.,  meaning  vision,  high,  ivorship.  It  might  mean  rebellious.  Oth- 
ers regard  it  as  a  compound  of  n^  Jah,  a  name  of  God,  and  nxi/a 
shoivn,  iTni?3  teacher,  or  N'lia/ear. 

14.  riNn-;  Jireh,  will  provide. 

16.  CND  pri^a,  dictum,  oracle  ;  r.  speak  low. 

21.  fiij  Buz,  scojjliig.     b."i|"^p  Qoiniicl,  gathered  of  God. 

22.  itn  Chazo,  vision,  ui-r^s  Pildash,  steelman  ?  wanderer  ?  tf^l^ 
Jidiaph  ;  r.  trickle,  weep.     ^^;^P3  Bethuel,  dwelling  of  God. 

23.  r^i^nn  Eibqah,  noose. 

24.  n^^X'n  Reumah,  exalted,  nsa  Tebach,  slaughter,  cril  Gacham, 
brand,     irnn  Tachash,  badger  or  seed,     f^s?.'^  Ma'akah  ;  r.  j^f^ss,  crush. 


XXII.  1.  And  it  came  to  pass  after  these  things,  that  the 
God  tempted  Abraham,  and  said  unto  him,  Abraham.  And  he 
said,  Here  I  am.  2.  And  he  said,  Take  now  thy  son,  thine 
only  one,  whom  thou  lovest,  Isaac,  and  get  thee  into  the  land 
of  Moriah ;  and  offer  him  there  a  burnt-offering  upon  one  of 
the-  hills  of  which  I  will  tell  thee.  3.  And  Abraham  rose  up 
early  in  the  morning,  and  saddled  his  ass,  and  took  two  of  his 
lads  with  him,  and  Isaac  his  son  ;  and  clave  the  wood  for  a 
burnt-offering,  and  rose  up,  and  went  unto  the  place  of  which 
the  God  had  told  him. 

4.  On  the  third  day  then  Abraham  lifted  up  his  eyes,  and 
saw  the  place  afar  off.  5.  And  Abraham  said  unto  his  lads, 
Abide  ye  here  with  the  ass,  and  I  and  the  lad  will  go  yonder ; 
and  we  will  worship  and  return  unto  you.     6.  And  Abraham 


GEN.  xxn.  337 

took  the  wood  of  the  burnt-offering,  and  laid  upon  Isaac  his 
sou ;  and  he  took  in  his  hand  the  fire  and  the  knife :  and  they 
went  both  of  them  together.  7.  And  Isaac  said  unto  Abraham 
his  father,  and  he  said,  My  father.  And  he  said,  Here  am  I, 
my  son.  And  he  said.  Behold  the  fire  and  the  wood ;  and 
where  is  the  sheep  for  a  burnt-offering.  8.  And  Abraham  said, 
God  will  provide  himself  the  sheep  for  a  burnt-offering,  my 
son :  so  they  went  both  of  them  together.  9.  And  they  came 
to  the  place  of  which  the  God  had  told  him ;  and  Abraham 
built  there  an  altar,  and  put  on  the  wood  ;  and  he  bound  Isaac 
his  son,  and  laid  him  on  the  altar  upon  the  wood.  10.  And 
Abraham  stretched  forth  his  hand,  and  took  the  knife  to  slay 
his  son. 

11.  And  the  angel  of  the  Lord  called  unto  him  out  of  heaven, 
and  said,  Abraham,  Abraham.  And  he  said.  Here  am  I,  12. 
And  he  said.  Lay  not  thy  hand  upon  the  lad,  neither  do  any- 
thing unto  him :  for  now  I  know  that  thou  fearest  God,  and 
hast  not  withheld  thy  son,  thine  only  one,  from  me.  13.  And 
Abraham  lifted  up  his  eyes  and  looked,  and,  lo,  a  ram  behind, 
caught  in  tlie  thicket  by  his  horns ;  and  Abraham  went  and 
took  the  ram,  and  offered  him  for  a  burnt-offering  instead  of 
his  son.  14.  And  Abraham  called  the  name  of  that  place 
Jehovah-jireh:  as  it  is  said  to-day.  In  the  mount  of  the  Lord 
he  is  seen. 

15.  And  the  angel  of  the  Lord  called  unto  Abraham  a  second 
time  out  of  heaven,  16.  And  said.  By  myself  have  I  sworn, 
saith  the  Lord,  because  thou  hast  done  this  thing,  and  hast 
not  withheld  thy  son,  thine  only  one ;  17.  That  bless,  bless 
thee  will  I,  and  multiply,  multiply  will  I  thy  seed,  as  the  stars 
of  heaven,  and  as  the  sand  which  is  upon  the  seashore ;  and 
thy  seed  shall  possess  the  gate  of  his  enemies.  18.  And  blessed 
in  thy  seed  shall  bo  all  the  nations  of  the  earth ;  because  thou 
hast  obeyed  my  voice.  19.  So  Abraham  returned  unto  his 
lads ;  and  they  rose  up  and  went  together  to  Beer-sheba  ;  and. 
Abraham  dwelt  at  Beer-sheba.  IT  22. 

43 


338  ABEAHAM  PEOVED. 

20.  And  it  came  to  pass  after  these  things,  that  it  was  told 
Abraham,  saying,  Behold  Milkah,  she  also  hath  borne  children 
unto  Nalior  thy  brother.  21.  Uz  his  first-born,  and  Buz  his 
brother,  and  Kemuel  the  father  of  Aram.  22.  And  Kesed 
and  Hazo  and  Pildash  and  Jidlaph  and  Bethuel.  23.  And 
Bcthucl  begat  Rebekah:  these  eight  bare  Milkah  to  Nahor, 
Abraham's  brother.  24.  And  his  concubine,  whose  name  was 
Reumah,  she  also  bare  Tebah  and  Gaham  and  Tahash  and 
Maakah.  5  1OT  23. 


The  grand  crisis,  the  crowning  event  in  the  history  of  Abraham, 
now  takes  place.  Every  needful  preparation  has  been  made  for  it. 
He  has  been  called  to  a  high  and  singular  destiny.  With  espectant 
acquiescence  he  has  obeyed  the  call.  By  the  delay  in  the  fulfilment 
of  the  promise,  he  has  been  taught  to  believe  in  the  Lord  on  his  simple 
word.  Hence,  as  one  born  again,  he  has  been  taken  into  covenant 
with  God.  He  has  been  commanded  to  walk  in  holiness,  and  circum- 
cised in  token  of  his  possessing  the  faith  which  purifieth  the  heart. 
He  has  become  the  intercessor  and  the  prophet.  And  he  has  at  length 
become  the  parent  of  the  child  of  i;)romise.  He  has  now  something  of 
unspeakable  worth,  by  which  his  spiritual  character  may  be  thoroughly 
tested.  Since  the  hour  in  which  he  believed  in  the  Lord,  the  features 
of  his  resemblance  to  God  have  been  shining  more  and  more  through 
V  j  tlie  darkness  of  his  fallen  nature  —  freedom  of  resolve,  holiness  of  walk, 
\  V/interposing  benevolence,  and  paternal  affection.  The  last  prepares  the 
V^>way  for  the  highest  point  of  moral  likeness. 

p  1-19.  God  tests  Abraham's  unreserved  obedience  to  liis  will.  The 
God.  The  true,  eternal,  and  only  God,  not  any  tempter  to  evil,  such 
as  the  serpent  or  his  own  thoughts.  Tempted  Abraham.  To  tempt  is 
originally  to  try,  prove,  put  to  the  test.  It  belongs  to  the  dignity  of  a 
moral  being  to  be  put  to  a  moral  probation.  Such  assaying  of  the 
will  and  conscience  is  worthy  both  of  God  the  assayer,  and  of  man  the 
assayed.  2.  Thine  only  one.  The  only  one  born  of  Sarah,  and  heir 
of  the  promise.  Whom  thou  lovest.  An  only  child  gathers  round  it 
all  the  aifections  of  the  parent's  heart.  The  land  of  Moriah.  This 
term,  though  applied  in  2  Chron.  iii.  1  to  the  mount  on  which  the 
temple  of  Solomon  was  built,  is  here  the  name  of  a  country,  containing, 
it  may  be,  a  range  of  mountains  or  other  notable  place  to  which  it  was 


GEN.  XXII.  339 

specially  appropriated.  Its  formation  and  meaning  are  very  doubtful, 
and  there  is  nothing  in  the  context  to  lend  us  any  aid  in  its  explanation. 
It  was  evidently  known  to  Abraham  before  he  set  out  on  his  present 
journey.  It  is  not  to  be  identified  with  Moreh  in  Gen.  xii.  6,  as  the 
tAvo  names  occur  in  the  same  document,  and,  being  different  in  form, 
they  naturally  denote  different  things.  Moreh  is  probably  the  name 
of  a  man.  Moriah  probably  refers  to  some  event  that  had  occurred 
in  the  land,  or  some  characteristic  of  its  inhabitants.  If  a  derivative, 
like  ii^ib  poriah,  fruitful,  it  may  mean  the  land  of  the  rebellious,  a 
name  not  inapposite  to  any  district  inhabited  by  the  Kenaanites,  who 
were  disposed  to  rebellion  themselves  (Gen.  xiv.  4),  or  met  with  re- 
bellion from  the  previous  inhabitants.  If  a  compound  of  the  divine 
name,  Jah,  whatever  be  the  other  element,  it  affords  an  interesting 
trace  of  the  manifestation  and  worship  of  the  true  God  under  the  name 
of  Jah  at  some  antecedent  period.  The  land  of  Moriah  comprehended 
within  its  range  the  population  to  which  Melkizedec  ministered  as 
pi-iest. 

And  offer  Mm  for  a  hurnt-offering.  Abraham  must  have  felt  the 
outward  inconsistency  between  the  sacrifice  of  his  son,  and  the  promise 
that  in  him  should  his  seed  be  called.  But  in  the  triumph  of  faith  he 
accounted  that  God  was  able  to  raise  him  up,  even  from  the  dead. 
On  no  other  principle  can  the  prompt,  mute,  unquestioning  obedience 
of  Abraham  be  explained.  Human  sacrifice  may  have  been  not  un- 
known ;  but  this  in  no  way  met  the  special  difficulty  of  the  promise. 
The  existence  of  such  a  custom  might  seem  to  have  smoothed  away 
the  difficulty  of  a  parent  offering  the  sacrifice  of  a  son.  But  the  moral 
difficulty  of  human  sacrifice  is  not  so  removed.  The  only  solution 
of  this,  is  that  which  the  case  itself  actually  presents ;  namely,  the 
divine  command.  It  is  evident  that  the  absolute  Creator  has  by  right 
entire  control  over  his  creatures.  He  is  no  doubt  bound  by  his  eternal 
rectitude  to  do  no  wrong  to  his  moral  creatures.  But  the  creature  in 
the  present  case  has  forfeited  the  life  that  was  given,  by  sin.  And, 
moreover,  we  cannot  deny  that  the  Almighty  may,  for  a  fit  moral  pur- 
pose, direct  the  sacrifice  of  a  holy  being,  who  should  eventually  receive 
a  due  recompense  for  such  a  degree  of  voluntary  obedience.  This 
takes  away  the  moral  difficulty,  either  as  to  God  who  commands,  or 
Abraham  who  obeys.  "Without  the  divine  command,  it  is  needless  to 
say  that  it  was  not  lawful  for  Abraham  to  slay  his  son. 

Upon  one  of  the  hills  of  which  I  xoill  tell  thee.  This  form  of  expres- 
sion clearly  shows  that  Moriah  was  not  at  that  time  the  name  of  the 


340  ABRAHAM  PEOVED. 

particular  hill  on  which  the  sacrifice  was  to  be  offered.  It  was  the 
general  designation  of  the  country  in  which  was  the  range  of  hills  on 
one  of  which  the  solemn  transaction  was  to  take  place.  3.  And  Abra- 
ham rose  up  early  in  the  morning.  There  is  no  hesitation  or  lingering 
in  the  patriarch.     If  this  has  to  be  done,  let  it  be  done  at  once. 

4-10.  The  story  is  now  told  with  exquisite  simplicity.  On  the  third 
day.  From  Beer-sheba  to  the  Shalem  of  Melkizedec,  near  which  this 
hill  is  supposed  to  have  been,  is  about  forty-five  miles.  If  they  pro- 
ceeded fifteen  miles  on  the  first  broken  day,  twenty  on  the  second,  and 
ten  on  the  third,  they  would  come  within  sight  of  the  place  early  on 
the  third  day.  Lifted  up  his  eyes.  It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  remind 
the  reader  of  the  Bible  that  this  phrase  does  not  imply  that  the  place 
was  above  his  point  of  view.  Lot  lifted  up  his  eyes  and  beheld  all 
the  vale  of  Jordan  (Gen.  xiii.  10),  which  was  considerably  below  the 
position  of  the  observer.  5.  And  return  unto  you.  The  intimation 
that  he  and  the  lad  would  return,  may  seem  to  have  rested  on  a  dim 
presentiment  that  God  would  restore  Isaac  to  him  even  if  sacrificed. 
But  it  is  more  in  keeping  with  the  earnestness  of  the  whole  transaction 
to  regard  it  as  a  mere  concealment  of  his  purpose  from  his  servants. 
9.  And  he  bound  Isaac  his  son.  There  is  a  wonderful  pathos  in  the 
words  his  son.,  his  father,  introduced  in  the  sacred  style  in  this  and 
similar  narratives.  Isaac,  when  the  trying  moment  came,  seems  to 
have  made  no  resistance  to  his  father's  will.  The  binding  was  merely 
a  sacrificial  custom.  He  must  have  concluded  that  his  father  v/as  in 
all  this  obeying  the  will  of  God,  though  he  gave  him  only  a  distant 
hint  that  it  was  so.  8.  Abraham  is  thoroughly  in  earnest  in  the  whole 
procedure. 

11-14.  At  this  critical  moment  the  angel  of  the  Lord  interposes  to 
prevent  the  actual  sacrifice.  12.  Lay  not  thy  hand  upon  the  lad. 
Here  we  have  the  evidence  of  a  voice  from  heaven  that  God  does  not 
accept  of  human  victims.  Man  is  morally  unclean,  and  therefore  unfit 
for  a  sacrifice.  He  is,  moreover,  not  in  any  sense  a  victim,  but  a 
doomed  culprit,  for  whom  the  victim  has  to  be  provided.  And  for  a 
typical  sacrifice  that  cannot  take  away,  but  only  shadow  forth,  the  effi- 
cacious sacrifice,  man  is  neither  fit  nor  necessary.  The  lamb  without 
blemish,  that  has  no  penal  or  protracted  suffering,  is  sufficient  for  a 
symbol  of  the  real  atonement.  The  intention,  therefore,  in  this  case 
was  enough,  and  that  was  now  seen  to  be  real.  Now  I  know  that  thou 
fearest  God.  This  was  known  to  God  antecedent  to  the  event  that 
demonstrated  it.     But  the  original  /  have  known  denotes  an  eventual 


GEN.  xxn.  341 

knowing,  a  discovering  by  actual  experiment ;  and  this  observable  pro- 
bation of  Abraham  was  necessary  for  the  judicial  eye  of  God,  who  is 
to  govern  the  world,  and  for  the  conscience  of  man,  who  is  to  be  in- 
structed by  practice  as  well  as  principle.  Thou  hast  not  withheld  thy 
son  from  me.  This  voluntary  surrender  of  all  that  was  dear  to  him, 
of  all  that  he  could  in  any  sense  call  his  own,  forms  the  keystone  of 
Abraham's  spiritual  experience.     He  is  henceforth  a  tried  man. 

13,  14.  A  ram  behind.  For  "behind"  we  have  "one  "in  the  Sa- 
maritan, the  Septuagint,  Onkelos,  and  some  MSS.  But  neither  a 
"single  ram  "  nor  a  "  certain  ram  "  adds  anything  suitable  to  the  sense. 
We  therefore  retain  the  received  reading.  The  voice  from  heaven 
was  heard  from  behind  Abraham,  who,  on  turning  back  and  lifting  up 
his  eyes,  saw  the  ram.  This  Abraham  took  and  offered  as  a  substitute 
for  Isaac.  Both  in  the  intention  and  in  the  act  he  rises  to  a  higher 
resemblance  to  God.  He  withholds  not  his  only  son  in  intent,  and  yet 
in  fact  he  ofiFers  a  substitute  for  his  son.  14,  Jehovah-jireh,  the  Lord 
■will  provide,  is  a  deeply  significant  name.  He  who  provided  the  ram 
caught  in  the  thicket  will  provide  the  really  atoning  victim  of  which 
the  ram  was  the  type.  In  this  event  we  can  imagine  Abraham  seeing 
the  day  of  that  preeminent  seed  who  should  in  the  fulness  of  time 
actually  take  away  sin  by  the  sacrifice  of  himself.  In  the  mount  of 
the  Lord  he  will  he  seen.  This  proverb  remained  as  a  monument  of 
this  transaction  in  the  time  of  the  sacred  writer.  The  mount  of  the 
Lord  here  means  the  very  height  of  the  trial  into  which  he  brings  his 
saints.  There  he  will  certainly  appear  in  due  time  for  their  deliver- 
ance. 

15-19.  Abraham  has  arrived  at  the  moral  elevation  of  self-denial 
and  resignation  to  the  will  of  God,  and  that/  in  its  highest  form. 
The  angel  of  the  Lord  now  confirms  all  his  special  promises  to  him 
with  an  oath,  in  their  amplest  terms.  An  oath  with  God  is  a  solemn 
pledging  of  himself  in  all  the  unchangeableness  of  his  faithfulness 
and  truth,  to  the  fulfilment  of  his  promise.  The  multitude  of  his  seed 
has  a  double  parallel  in  the  stars  of  heaven  and  the  sands  of  the 
ocean.  They  are  to  possess  the  gate  of  their  enemies  ;  that  is,  to  be 
masters  and  rulers  of  their  cities  and  territoi-ies.  The  great  promise, 
and  blessed  in  thy  seed  shall  be  all  the  nations  of  the  earth,  was  first 
given  absolutely  without  reference  to  his  character.  Now  it  is  con- 
firmed to  him  as  the  man  of  proof,  who  is  not  only  accepted  as  right- 
eous, but  proved  to  be  actually  righteous  after  the  inward  man  ;  because 
thoic  hast  obeyed  ?ny  voice  (Gen.  xxvi.  5).     The  reflexive  form  of  the 


/ 


342  ABRAHAM  PROVED. 

verb  signifying  to  bless  is  here  employed,  not  to  denote  emphasis,  but 
to  intimate  that  the  nations,  in  being  blessed  of  God,  are  made  willing 
to  be  so,  and  therefore  bless  themselves  in  Abraham's  seed.  In  hear- 
ing this  transcendent  blessing  repeated  on  this  momentous  occasion, 
Abraham  truly  saw  the  day  of  the  seed  of  the  woman,  the  seed  of 
Abraham,  the  Son  of  man.  We  contemplate  him  now  with  wonder  as 
the  man  of  God,  manifested  by  the  self-denying  obedience  of  a  regen- 
erate nature,  intrusted  with  the  dignity  of  the  patriarchate  over  a  holy 
seed,  and  competent  to  the  worthy  discharge  of  all  its  spiritual  func- 
tions. 

"With  the  nineteenth  verse  of  this  chapter  may  be  said  to  close  the 
main  revelation  of  the  third  Bible  given  to  mankind,  to  which  the 
remainder  of  this  book  is  only  a  needful  appendix.  It  includes  the 
two  former  Bibles  or  revelations,  —  that  of  Adam  and  that  of  Noah  ; 
and  it  adds  the  special  revelation  of  Abraham.  The  two  former  ap- 
plied directly  to  the  whole  race  ;  the  latter  directly  to  Abraham  and 
his  seed  as  the  medium  of  an  ultimate  blessing  to  the  whole  race. 
The  former  revealed  the  mercy  of  God  offered  to  all,  which  was  the 
truth  immediately  necessary  to  be  known ;  the  latter  reveals  more 
definitely  the  seed  through  whom  the  blessings  of  mercy  are  to  be 
conveyed  to  all,  and  delineates  the  leading  stage  in  the  spiritual  life  of 
a  man  of  God.  In  the  person  of  Abraham  is  unfolded  that  spiritual 
process  by  which  the  soul  is  drawn  to  God.  He  hears  the  call  of 
God  and  comes  to  the  decisive  act  of  trusting  in  the  revealed  God  of 
mercy  and  truth  ;  on  the  ground  of  which  act  he  is  accounted  as  right- 
eous. He  then  rises  to  the  successive  acts  of  walking  with  God, 
covenanting  with  him,  communing  and  interceding  with  him,  and  at 
length  withholding  nothing  that  he  has  or  holds  dear  from  him.  In 
all  this  we  discern  certain  primary  and  essential  characteristics  of  the 
man  who  is  saved  through  acceptance  of  the  mercy  of  God  proclaimed 
to  him  in  a  primeval  gospel.  Faith  in  God  (ch.  xv.),  repentance 
towards  him  (ch.  xvi.),  and  fellowship  with  him  (ch.  xviii.),  are  the 
three  great  turning-points  of  the  soul's  returning  life.  They  are  built 
upon  the  effectual  call  of  God  (ch.  xii.),  and  culminate  in  unreserved 
resignation  to  him  (ch.  xxii.).  With  wonderful  facility  has  the  sacred 
record  descended  in  this  pattern  of  spiritual  biography  from  the 
rational  and  accountable  race  to  the  individual  and  immortal  soul,  and 
traced  the  footsteps  of  its  path  to  God. 

The  seed  that  was  threatened  to  bruise  the  serpent's  head  is  here 
the  seed  that  is  promised  to  bless  all  the  families  of  the  earth.     The 


GEN.  XXIII.  343 

thi'eefold  individuality  in  the  essence  of  the  one  eternal  Spirit,  is  adum- 
brated in  the  three  men  who  visited  the  patriarch,  and  their  personal 
and  practical  interest  in  the  salvation  of  man  is  manifested,  though  the 
part  appropriated  to  each  in  the  work  of  grace  be  not  yet  apparent. 

Meanwhile,  contemporaneous  with  Abraham  are  to  be  seen  men 
(Melkizedec,  Abimelek)  who  live  under  the  covenant  of  Noah,  which 
was  not  abrogated  by  that  of  Abraham,  but  only  helped  forward  by 
the  specialities  of  the  latter  over  the  legal  and  moral  difiiculties  in  the 
way  to  its  final  and  full  accomplishment.  That  covenant,  which  was 
simply  the  expansion  and  continuation  of  the  Adamic  covenant,  is  still 
in  force,  and  contains  within  its  bosom  the  Abrahamic  covenant  in  its 
culminating  grandeur,  as  the  soul  that  gives  life  and  motion  to  its 
otherwise  inanimate  body. 

20-24.  This  family  notice  is  inserted  as  a  piece  of  contemporaneous 
history,  to  explain  and  prepare  the  way  for  the  marriage  of  Isaac. 
Milkah,  she  also,  in  allusion  to  Sarah,  who  has  borne  Isaac.  So  far  as 
we  know,  they  may  have  been  sisters,  but  they  were  at  all  events  sisters- 
in-law.  The  only  new  persons  belonging  to  our  histoy  are  Bethuel  and 
Eebekah.  Uz,  Aram,  and  Kesed  are  interesting,  as  they  show  that 
we  are  in  the  region  of  the  Shemites,  among  whom  these  are  ances- 
tral names  (Gen.  X.  23,  xi.  28).  Buz  may  have  been  the  ancestor  of 
Elihu  (Jer.  xxv.  23 ;  Job  xxxii.  2).  Maakah  may  have  given  rise  to 
the  tribes  and  land  of  Maakah  (Deut.  iii.  14  ;  2  Sam.  x,  6).  The  other 
names  do  not  again  occur.  And  his  concubine.  A  concubine  was  a 
secondary  wife,  whose  position  was  not  considered  disreputable  in  the 
East.  Nahor,  like  Ishmael,  had  twelve  sons,  —  eight  by  his  wife,  and 
four  by  his  concubine. 


XLIX.    DEATH  OF  SARAH.  — Gen.  xxui. 

2.  SJS'^X  r^ip,  Qirjath-arba  ,  city  of  Arha.     i'a^N,  Arba',/o?<r. 

8.  "pia?  'Eplu'on,  of  the  dust,  or  resembling  a  calf,     "nini:,  Tsochar, 
whiteness. 

9,  ^33^,  Makpelah,  doubled. 

XXIII.     1.  And  the  life  of  Sarah  was  a  hundred  and  twenty 
and  seven  years,  the  years  of  the  life  of  Sarah.     2.  And  Sarah 


344  DEATH  OF  SARAH. 

died  in  Kiijath-arba,  tins  is  Hebron,  in  the  land  of  Kenaan  : 
and  Abraham  went  to  nionrn  for  Sarah,  and  to  weep  for  her. 

3.  And  Abraham  rose  up  from  before  his  dead,  and  spake 
unto  the  sons  of  Heth,  saying,  4.  A  stranger  and  a  sojourner 
am  I  with  you :  give  me  a  possession  of  a  burying-place  with 
you,  and  let  me  bury  my  dead  out  of  my  sight.  5.  And  the 
sons  of  Heth  answered  Abraham,  saying  unto  him,  6.  Hear 
us,  my  lord :  a  prince  of  God  art  thou  among  us :  in  the 
choice  of  our  sepulchres  bury  thy  dead  ;  none  of  us  shall  with- 
hold his  sepulchre  from  thee  to  bury  thy  dead.  7.  And 
Abraham  stood  up,  and  bowed  himself  to  the  people  of  the 
land,  to  the  sons  of  Heth.  8.  And  he  spake  with  them,  say- 
ing. If  it  be  your  mind  that  I  should  bury  my  dead  out  of  my 
sight,  hear  me,  and  treat  for  me  with  Ephron  the  son  of  Zohar. 

9.  And  he  shall  give  me  the  cave  of  Makpelah,  which  he  hath, 
which  is  in  the  end  of  his  field  :  for  the  full  silver  shall  he 
give  it  me  among  you,  for  a  possession  of  a  burying-place. 

10.  And  Ephron  was  sitting  among  the  sons  of  Heth ;  and 
Ephron  the  Hittite  answered  Abraham  in  the  ears  of  the  sons 
of  Heth,  before  all  that  went  in  at  the  gate  of  his  city,  saying, 

11.  Nay,  my  lord,  hear  me  ;  the  field  give  I  thee,  and  the 
cave  that  is  therein,  to  thee  I  give  it ;  in  the  sight  of  the  sons 
of  my  people  give  I  it  thee  :  bury  thy  dead.  12.  And  Abra- 
ham bowed  himself  before  the  people  of  the  land.  13.  And 
he  spake  unto  Ephron  in  the  ears  of  the  people  of  the  land, 
saying.  But  if  thou  wilt,  hear  me  :  I  give  silver  for  the  field  ; 
take  it  of  me,  and  let  me  bury  my  dead  there.  14.  And  Eph- 
ron answered  Abraham,  saying  unto  him,  15.  My  lord,  hear 
me :  the  land  is  four  hundred  shekels  of  silver ;  between  me 
and  thee  what  is  that  ?  bury,  then,  thy  dead.  16.  And  Abra- 
ham hearkened  unto  Ephron ;  and  Abraham  weighed  the 
silver,  which  he  had  named  in  the  ears  of  the  sons  of  Heth, 
four  hundred  shekels  of  silver  current  with  the  mercliant. 

17.  Then  was  made  sure  tlie  field  of  Ephron,  which  was  in 
Makpelah,  which  was  before  Mamre,  the  field  and  the  cave 


,  GEN.  xxin.  345 

which  was  tlierein,  and  all  the  trees  which  were  in  the  field, 
that  were  in  all  its  border  round  about,  18.  Unto  Abraham 
for  a  possession  in  the  sight  of  the  sons  of  Heth,  among  all 
that  went  in  at  the  gate  of  his  city.  19.  And  after  this  Abra- 
ham buried  Sarah  his  wife  in  the  cave  of  the  field  of  Makpelah, 
before  Mamre,  this  is  Hebron,  in  the  land  of  Kenaan.  20. 
Then  was  made  sure  the  field,  and  the  cave  that  is  therein, 
unto  Abraham  for  a  possession  of  a  burying-placc,  from  the 
sons  of  Heth.  §  33. 


The  death  and  burial  of  Sarah  are  here  recorded.  This  occasions 
the  purchase  of  the  tield  of  Makpelah,  in  the  cave  of  which  is  her  sep- 
ulchre. 

1,  2.  Sarah  is  the  only  woman  whose  age  is  recorded  in  Scripture. 
She  meets  with  this  distinction  as  the  wife  of  Abraham  and  the  mother 
of.  the  promised  seed.  A  ktmdred  and  twenty  and  seven  years,  and 
therefore  thirty-seven  years  after  the  birth  of  her  son.  In  Kiriath- 
arha.  Arba  is  called  the  father  of  Anak  (.Jos.  xv.  13,  xxi.  11) ;  that 
is,  of  the  Anakim  or  Bene  Anak,  a  tall  or  gigantic  tribe  (Num.  xiii. 
22,  xxviii.  33),  who  were  subsequently  dispossessed  by  Kaleb.  The 
Anakim  were  probably  Hittites.  Abraham  had  been  absent  from  He- 
bron, which  is  also  called  Mamre  in  this  very  chapter  (v.  17,  19),  not 
far  from  forty  years,  though  he  appears  to  have  still  kept  up  a  connec- 
tion with  it,  and  had  at  present  a  residence  in  it.  During  this  interval 
the  sway  of  Arba  may  have  commenced.  In  the  land  of  Kenaan,  in 
contradistinction  to  Beer-sheba  in  the  land  of  the  Philistines,  where  we 
last  left  Abraham.  Abraham  tucnt  to  mourn  for  Sarah,  either  from 
Beer-sheba  cr  some  out-field  where  he  had  cattle  pasturing. 

3-16.  Abraham  purchases  a  burying-ground  in  the  land.  The  sons 
of  Heth.  These  are  the  lords  of  the  soil.  4.  A  stranger  and  a  so- 
journer. He  is  a  stranger,  not  a  Hittite ;  a  sojourner,  a  dweller  in  the 
land,  not  a  mere  visitor  or  traveller.  The  former  explains  why  he  has 
no  burial-ground ;  the  latter,  why  he  asks  to  purchase  one.  Biu-y  my 
dead  out  of  my  sight.  The  bodies  of  those  most  dear  to  us  decay,  and 
must  be  removed  from  our  sight.  Abraham  makes  his  request  in  the 
most  general  terms.  5,  G.  In  the  somewhat  exaggerated  style  of  East- 
ern courtesj^,  the  sons  of  Heth  reply,  Hear  us,  my  lord.  One  speaks 
for  all ;  hence  the  change  of  number.     "  My  lord  "  is  simply  equivalent 


346  DEATH  OP  SARAH 

to  our  Sir,  or  the  German  mein  Herr.  A  prince  of  God  in  those 
times  of  simple  faith  -was  a  chief  notably  favored  of  God,  as  Abraham 
had  been  in  his  call,  his  deliverance  in  Egypt,  his  victory  over  the 
kings,  his  intercession  for  the  cities  of  the  vale,  and  his  protection  in 
the  court  of  Abimelek.  Some  of  these  events  were  well  known  to  the 
Hittites,  as  they  had  occurred  while  he  was  residing  among  them. 

7-9.  Abraham  now  makes  a  specific  offer  to  purchase  the  field  of 
Makpelah  from  Ephron  the  son  of  Zohar.  Treat  for  me,  —  deal,  use 
your  influence  with  him.  Abraham  approaches  in  the  most  cautious 
manner  to  the  individual  Avith  whom  he  wishes  to  treat.  The  cave  of 
MaJcpelaJi.  The  burial  of  the  dead  in  caves,  natural  and  artificial,  was 
customary  in  this  Eastern  land.  The  field  seems  to  have  been  called 
Makpelah  (doubled)  from  the  double  form  of  the  cave,  or  the  two 
caves  perhaps  communicating  with  each  other,  which  it  contained. 
For  the  fall  silver.  Silver  seems  to  have  been  the  current  medium  of 
commerce  at  this  time.  God  was  known,  and  mentioned  at  an  earlier 
period  (Gen.  ii.  11 ;  xiii.  2).  A  possession  of  a  burying-ground.  We 
learn  from  this  passage  that  property  in  land  had  been  established  at 
this  time.  Much  of  the  country,  however,  must  have  been  a  common, 
or  unappropriated  pasture  ground. 

10-16.  The  transaction  now  comes  to  be  between  Abraham  and 
Ephron.  Was  sitting.  The  sons  of  Ilctli  were  seated  in  council, 
and  Ephron  arnong  them.  Abraham  seems  to  have  been  seated 
also  ;  for  he  stood  up  to  make  his  obeisance  and  request  (v.  7).  Be- 
fore all  that  losnt  in  at  the  gate  of  his  dig.  The  conference  was 
public.  The  place  of  session  for  judicial  and  other  public  business 
was  the  gate  of  the  city,  which  was  common  ground,  and  where  men 
were  constantly  going  in  and  out.  His  city.  This  implies  not  that  he 
was  the  king  or  chief,  but  simply  that  he  was  a  respectable  citizen. 
If  Hebron  was  the  city  of  the  Hittites  here  intended,  its  chief  at  the 
time  seems  to  have  been  Arba.  11.  The  field  give  I  thee.  Literally, 
have  I  given  thee,  —  what  was  resolved  upon  was  regarded  as  done. 
In  the  sight  of  the  sons  of  my  people.  This  was  a  public  declara- 
tion or  deed  before  many  witnesses.  He  offers  the  field  as  a  gift, 
with  the  Eastern  understanding  that  the  receiver  would  make  an  am- 
ple recompense.  This  mode  of  dealing  had  its  origin  in  a  genuine 
good-will,  that  was  prepared  to  gratify  the  wish  of  another  as  soon  as  it 
was  made  known,  and  as  far  as  it  was  reasonable  or  practicable.  The  feel- 
ing seems  to  have  been  still  somewhat  fresh  and  unaffected  in  the  time 
of  Ab/alinm,  though  it  has  degenerated  into  a  mere  form  of  courtesy. 


GEN.  xxm.  347 

13.  If  thou  wilt,  hear  me.  The  language  is  abrupt,  being  spoken 
in  the  haste  of  excitement.  /  give  silver.  "  I  have  given  "  in  the 
original ;  that  is,  I  have  determined  to  pay  the  full  price.  If  the  East- 
ern giver  was  liberal,  the  receiver  was  penetrated  with  an  equal  sense 
of  the  obligation  conferred,  and  a  like  determination  to  make  an 
equivalent  return.  15.  The  land  is  four  hundred  shekels.  This 
is  the  familiar  style  for  "  the  land  is  worth  so  much."  The  shekel  is 
■  here  mentioned  for  the  first  time.  It  was  originally  a  weight,  not  a 
coin.  The  weight  at  least  was  in  common  use  before  Abraham.  If  the 
shekel  be  nine  pennyweights  and  three  grains,  the  price  of  the  field 
was  about  forty-five  pounds  sterling.  16.  And  Abraham  weighed. 
It  appears  that  the  money  was  uncoined  silver,  as  it  was  weighed. 
Current  with  the  merchant.  The  Kenaanites,  of  whom  the  Hittites 
were  a  tribe,  were  among  the  earliest  traders  in  the  world.  The 
merchant,  as  the  original  imports,  is  the  traveller  who  brings  the  wares 
to  the  purchasers  in  their  own  dwelhngs  or  towns.  To  him  a  fixed 
weight  and  measure  were  necessary. 

17-20.  The  completion  of  the  sale  is  stated  with  gi-eat  formality 
in  two  verses.  No  mention  is  made  of  any  written  deed  of  sale. 
Yet  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob  remained  in  undisturbed  possession  of 
this  burial-ground.  Undisputed  tenure  seems  to  have  been  acknowl- 
edged as  a  title.  19.  The  burial  of  Sarah  is  then  simply  noted. 
20,  The  validity  of  Abraham's  title  is  practically  evinced  by  the 
actual  burial  of  Sarah,  and  is  recited  again  on  account  of  the  impor- 
tance of  the  fact. 

This  chapter  is  interesting  as  containing  the  first  record  of  mourn- 
ing for  the  dead,  of  burial,  of  property  in  land,  of  purchase  of  land, 
of  silver  as  a  medium  of  purchase,  and  of  a  standard  of  weight. 
Mourning  for  the  dead  was,  no  doubt,  natural  on  the  first  death. 
Burial  was  a  matter  of  necessity,  in  order,  as  Abraham  says,  to  re- 
move the  body  out  of  sight,  as  soon  as  it  was  learned  by  experience 
that  it  would  be  devoured  by  beasts  of  prey,  or  become  offensive  by 
putrefaction.  To  bury  or  cover  it  with  earth  was  a  more  easy  and  nat- 
ural process  than  burning,  and  was  therefore  earlier  and  more  general. 
Property  in  land  was  introduced  where  tribes  became  settled,  formed 
towns,  and  began  to  practise  tillage.  Barter  was  the  early  mode  of 
accommodating  each  party  with  the  articles  he  needed  or  valued. 
This  led  gradually  to  the  use  of  the  precious  metals  as  a  "  current " 
medium  of  exchange  —  first  by  weight,  and  then  by  coins  of  a  fixed 
weight  and  knov/n  stamp. 


S48  MARRIAGE  OF  ISAAC. 

The  burial  of  Sarah  is  noted  because  she  was  the  wife  of  Abraham 
and  the  mother  of  the  promised  seed.  The  purchase  of  the  field  is 
worthy  of  note,  as  it  is  the  first  property  of  the  chosen  race  in  the 
promised  land.  Hence  these  two  events  are  interwoven  with  the 
sacred  narrative  of  the  ways  of  God  with  man. 


L.    MARRIAGE  OF  ISAAC. -Gen.  xxiv. 

26.  nnf5  hoio  the  head,     n^rint;!!  bow  the  body. 
29.  "jn^  Laban,  white. 

XXIV.  1.  And  Abraham  was  an  old  man,  far  gone  in. 
days :  and  the  Lord  had  blessed  Abraham  in  all  things.  2. 
And  Abraham  said  unto  his  servant,  the  elder  of  his  house, 
that  ruled  over  all  that  he  had,  Put  now  thy  hand  under  my 
thigh,  3.  And  I  will  make  tlice  swear  by  the  Lord  God  of 
heaven,  and  God  of  the  earth,  that  thou  shalt  not  take  a  wife 
unto  my  son  of  the  daughters  of  the  Kenaanite,  among  whom 
I  dwell.  4.  But  unto  my  land  and  to  my  kindred  shalt  thou 
go,  and  take  a  wife  unto  my  son  Isaac.  5.  And  the  servant 
said  unto  liim,  Mayliap  the  woman  will  not  wish  to  come  after 
me  to  this  land :  must  I  needs  bring  back  thy  son  unto  the 
land  whence  thou  earnest.  G.  And  Abraham  said  unto  him, 
Beware  thou,  that  thou  bring  not  back  my  son  thither.  7. 
The  Lord  God  of  heaven,  who  took  me  from  my  father's  house, 
and  from  the  land  of  my  kindred,  and  who  spake  unto  me, 
and  who  sware  unto  me,  saying.  Unto  thy  seed  will  I  give  this 
land,  he  shall  send  his  angel  before  thee,  and  thou  shalt  take 
a  wife  for  my  son  thence.  8.  And  if  the  woman  do  not  wish 
to  come  after  thee,  then  thou  shalt  be  clear  from  this  my  oath : 
only  my  son  bring  not  back  tliithcr.  9.  And  the  servant  put 
his  hand  under  the  thigh  of  Abraham  his  master,  and  sware 
to  him  concerning  this  matter. 

10.  And  the  servant  took  ten  camels  of  the  camels  of  his 


GEN.  XXIV.  349 

master,  and  went,  and  all  the  best  belonging  to  his  master  in 
his  hand ;  and  he  arose  and  went  to  Aram  of  the  two  rivers, 
to  the  city  of  Xahor.  11.  And  he  made  the  camels  kneel 
down  without  the  city  by  a  well  of  Avater,  at  the  time  of  even- 
ing, the  time  when  the  maidens  that  draw  water  come  out, 
12.  And  he  said,  0  Lord,  God  of  my  master  Abraham,  open 
the  way  before  me  to-day,  and  show  kindness  unto  my  master 
Abraham.  13.  Here  am  I  standing  by  the  well  of  water ; 
and  the  daughters  of  the  men  of  the  city  are  coming  out  to 
draw  water.  14.  And  let  it  come  to  pass,  that  the  damsel  to 
whom  I  shall  say.  Lot  down  now  thy  pitcher  that  I  may  drink, 
and  she  shall  say.  Drink,  and  also  to  thy  camels  will  I  give 
drink,  the  same  hast  thou  adjudged  to  thy  servant  Isaac  ;  and 
thereby  shall  I  know  that  thou  hast  shown  kindness  unto  my 
master. 

15.  And  it  came  to  pass  that  he  had  not  yet  done  speaking, 
and,  lo,  Rebekah  came  forth,  who  was  born  to  Bethuel,  son  of 
Miikah,  the  wife  of  Nahor,  Abraham's  brother,  and  her  pitcher 
iTpon  her  shoulder.  16.  And  the  damsel  was  very  fair  to 
look  upon,  a  virgin,  and  no  man  had  known  her;  and  she 
went  down  to  the  well  and  filled  her  pitcher  and  came  up. 
17.  And  the  servant  ran  to  meet  her,  and  said.  Let  me  now 
drink  a  little  water  out  of  thy  pitcher.  18.  And  she  said, 
Drink,  my  lord ;  and  she  hasted,  and  let  down  her  pitcher 
upon  her  hand  and  gave  him  drink.  19.  And  she  had  done 
giving  him  drink  ;  and  she  said,  Also  for  thy  camels  will  I 
draw  until  they  have  done  drinking.  20.  And  she  hasted, 
and  emptied  her  pitcher  into  the  trough,  and  ran  again  unto 
the  well  to  draw,  and  drew  for  all  his  camels.  21.  And  the 
man  wondered  at  her,  holding  his  peace,  to  wit,  whether  the 
Lord  had  prospered  his  way  or  not. 

22.  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  the  camels  had  done  drinking, 
that  the  man  took  a  ring  of  gold,  a  beka  in  weight,  and  two 
bracelets  for  her  hands,  ten  of  gold  in  weight,  23.  And  said, 
whose  daughter  art  thou  ?  tell  me  now  :  is  there  in  thy  father's 


350  MARRIAGE  OF  ISAAC. 

house  room  for  us  to  lodge  in  ?  24.  And  she  said  unto  him, 
I  am  the  daughter  of  Bethuel,  the  son  of  Milkah,  whom  she 
bare  unto  Nahor.  25.  And  she  said  unto  him,  Both  straw 
and  provender  enough  we  have,  and  room  to  lodge  in.  26. 
And  tlie  man  bowed  his  head,  and  worshipped  the  Lord.  27. 
And  he  said,  Blessed  be  the  Lord.  God  of  my  master  Abraham, 
who  hath  not  withdrawn  his  mercy  and  his  truth  fj-om  my 
master :  when  I  was  in  the  way,  the  Lord  led  me  to  the  house 
of  my  master's  brethren.  28.  And  the  damsel  ran,  and  told 
her  mother's  house  according  to  all  these  words. 

29.  And  Rebckah  had  a  brother,  and  his  name  was  Laban  : 
and  Laban  ran  to  the  man  without,  unto  the  well.  30.  And 
it  came  to  pass,  when  he  saw  the  ring  and  the  bracelets  on 
his  sister's  hands,  and  when  he  heard  the  words  of  Rebekah 
his  sister,  saying,  Thus  spake  the  man  unto  me,  that  he  went 
unto  the  man,  and,  lo,  he  was  standing  by  the  camels  at  the 
well.  31.  And  he  said,  Come  in,  thou  blessed  of  the  Lord  ; 
wherefore  standest  thou  without  ?  and  I  have  prepared  the 
house  and  a  place  for  the  camels.  32.  And  the  man  went 
into  the  house  ;  and  he  ungirded  the  camels,  and  gave  straw 
and  provender  to  the  camels,  and  water  to  wash  his  feet,  and 
the  men's  feet  that  were  with  him.  33.  And  he  set  before 
him  to  eat :  and  he  said,  I  will  not  eat  till  I  have  told  mine 
errand.     And  he  said,  Speak  on. 

34.  And  he  said,  I  am  Abraham's  servant.  35.  And  the 
Lord  hath  blessed  my  master  much,  and  he  has  become  great : 
and  he  gave  him  flocks  and  herds,  and  silver  and  gold,  and 
men-servants  and  maid-servants,  and  camels  and  asses.  36. 
And  Sarah,  my  master's  wife,  bare  a  son  to  my  master  after 
her  old  age ;  and  ho  hath  given  unto  him  all  that  he  hath. 
37.  And  my  master  made  me  swear,  saying,  Thou  shalt  not 
take  a  wife  to  my  son  of  the  daughters  of  the  Kenaanite,  in 
whose  land  I  dwell.  38.  But  unto  my  father's  house  shalt 
thou  go  and  to  my  kindred,  and  take  a  wife  for  my  son.  39. 
And  I  said  unto  my  master,  Mayhap  the  woman  will  not  come 


GEN.  XXIV.  ^  351 

after  me.  40.  And  he  said  unto  me,  The  Lord  before  whom 
I  walk,  will  send  his  angel  with  thee,  and  prosper  thy  way  ; 
and  thoii  shalt  take  a  wife  for  my  son  from  my  family,  and 
from  my  father's  house.  41.  Then  shalt  thou  be  clear  from 
my  oath,  when  thou  goest  to  my  family  ;  and  if  they  give  thee 
not,  thou  shalt  be  clear  from  my  oath.  42.  And  I  came  this 
day  unto  the  well,  and  said,  0  Lord,  God  of  my  master  Abra- 
ham, if  now  thou  do  prosper  my  way  which  I  go,  43.  Lo,  I 
stand  at  the  well  of  water,  and  let  it  come  to  pass,  that  the 
maiden  coming  forth  to  draw  to  whom  I  say,  Let  me  drink 
now  a  little  water  out  of  thy  pitcher,  44.  And  she  says  to  me, 
Both  thou  drink,  and  for  thy  camels  I  will  draw,  the  same  be 
the  woman  whom  the  Lord  hath  adjudged  to  my  master's  son. 
45.  I  had  not  yet  done  speaking  in  my  heart,  and,  lo,  Rebekah 
came  forth,  and  her  pitcher  on  her  shoulder  ;  and  she  went 
down  unto  the  well  and  drew ;  and  I  said  unto  her,  Let  me 
now  drink.  46.  And  she  hasted,  and  let  down  her  pitcher 
from  upon  her,  and  said.  Drink,  and  also  to  thy  camels  will  I 
give  drink  ;  and  I  drank,  and  she  made  the  camels  drink  also. 
47.  And  I  asked  her,  and  said,  whose  daughter  art  thou  ? 
And  she  said,  the  daughter  of  Bethucl,  Nahor's  son,  whom 
Milkah  bare  unto  him :  and  I  put  the  ring  upon  her  face,  and 
the  bracelets  upon  her  hands.  48.  And  I  bowed  my  head, 
and  worshipped  the  Lord,  and  blessed  the  Lord,  God  of  my 
master  Abraham,  who  had  led  me  in  the  way  of  truth  to  take 
the  daughter  of  my  master's  brother  for  his  son.  49.  And 
now,  if  ye  will  do  kindness  and  truth  to  my  master,  tell  me ; 
and  I  will  turn  to  the  right  hand  or  to  the  left.  60.  And 
Laban  and  Bethuel  answered  and  said,  The  thing  proceedeth 
from  the  Lord  ;  we  cannot  speak  unto  thee  bad  or  good.  51. 
Behold,  Rebekah  is  before  thee  ;  take  her  and  go,  and  let  her 
be  wife  to  thy  master's  son,  as  the  Lord  hath  spoken.  52.  And 
it  came  to  pass,  when  Abraham's  servant  heard  their  words, 
he  bowed  to  the  earth  to  the  Lord.  53.  And  the  servant 
brought  forth  jewels  of  silver,  and  jewels  of  gold,  and  raiment. 


oO-i  MARRIAGE  OF  ISAAC. 

and  gave  to  Rebekali ;  and  precious  things  gave  lie  to  her 
brother  and  to  her  mother.  54.  And  they  ate  and  drank,  he 
and  the  men  that  were  with  him,  and  tarried  all  night ;  and 
they  rose  up  in  the  morning,  and  he  said,  Send  mo  away  unto 
my  master.  55.  And  her  brother  and  her  motlier  said,  Let 
the  damsel  abide  with  vis  a  few  days,  at  the  least  ten ;  after 
that  she  shall  go.  5Q.  And  he  said  unto  them,  Hinder  me 
not,  seeing  the  Lord  hath  prospered  my  way  ;  send  me  away, 
that  I  may  go  to  my  master.  57.  And  they  said,  We  will  call 
the  damsel  and  inquire  at  her  mouth.  58.  And  they  called 
Rebekah,  and  said  unto  her,  Wilt  thou  go  with  this  man  ? 
And  she  said,  I  will  go.  59.  And  they  sent  away  Rebekah 
their  sister,  and  her  nurse,  and  Abraham's  servant  and  his 
men.  60.  And  they  blessed  Rebekah,  and  said  unto  her.  Our 
sister,  be  thou  mother  to  thousands  of  myriads,  and  let  thy 
seed  possess  the  gate  of  those  that  hate  them.  61.  And  Re- 
bekah arose,  and  her  damsels,  and  they  rode  upon  the  camels, 
and  went  after  the  man  :  and  the  servant  took  Rebekah  and 
went  his  way. 

62.  And  Isaac  went  from  the  way  to  Beer-lahai-roi ;  for  he 
was  dwelling  in  the  land  of  the  south.  63.  And  Isaac  came 
out  to  meditate  in  the  field  at  eventide :  and  he  lifted  up  his 
eyes  and  saw,  and  behold  the  camels  were  coming.  64.  And 
Rebekah  lifted  up  her  eyes  and  saw  Isaac,  and  she  lighted  off 
the  camel.  65.  And  she  said  unto  the  servant,  Who  is  this 
man  that  walketh  in  the  field  to  meet  us  ?  And  the  servant 
said,  This  is  my  master.  And  she  took  the  veil  and  covered 
herself.  GQ.  And  the  servant  told  Isaac  all  things  that  he  had 
done.  67.  And  Isaac  brought  her  unto  Sarah  his  mother's 
tent,  and  took  Rebekah  and  she  became  his  wife,  and  he  loved 
her  ;  and  Isaac  was  comforted  after  his  mother. 

In  this  circumstantial  account  of  the  marriage  of  Isaac,  we  have  a 
beautiful  picture  of  ancient  manners  in  the  East,  the  living  original  of 
which  the  present  customs  of  that  cradle  of  mankind  are  a  striking  copy. 


GEN.  XXIV.  353 

1-9.  Abraham  binds  the  chief  servant  of  his  house  to  seek  a  wife 
for  his  son  Isaac  among  his  kindred.  1.  The  first  movement  in  this 
matrimonial  arrangement  is  on  the  part  of  the  father,  who  does  not 
consult  his  son,  but  the  chief  manager  of  his  household  affairs.  Abra- 
ham is  now  a  hundred  and  forty  years  of  age,  and  Sarah  has  been 
three  years  dead.  Isaac  seems  to  have  been  of  an  easy,  sedate  turn  of 
mind,  and  was  not  in  circumstances  to  choose  a  partner  for  life  such 
as  his  father  would  approve.  The  promise  of  a  numerous  offspring 
by  the  son  of  Sarah  is  before  the  mind  of  the  patriarch.  All  these 
considerations  impel  him  to  look  out  for  a  suitable  wife  for  his  son,  and 
the  blessing  of  the  Lord  encourages  him  to  proceed.  2.  The  person 
whom  Abraham  intrusted  with  this  delicate  task  has  a  threefold  des- 
ignation. First,  he  is  his  servant  or  minister.  Secondly,  he  is  the 
old  man,  ancient,  or  elder  of  his  house.  Here  the  term  elder  ap- 
proaches its  official  signification.  In  early  times  age  was  taken  into 
account,  along  with  good  conduct  and  aptitude,  as  the  qualification  for 
services  of  trust.  Thirdly,  he  ruled  over  all  that  he  had.  He  was 
therefore  a  master  as  well  as  a  minister.  If  this  be  Eiiezer  of  Da- 
mascus ( Gen.  XV.  2),  he  was  the  steward  of  Abraham  before  the  birth 
of  Ishmael  fifty-four  years  ago.  Under  my  thigh.  The  thigh  was  the 
seat  of  generative  power,  and  the  region  of  sacramental  consecration, 
and  to  put  the  hand  under  the  thigh  was  to  acknowledge  and  pledge 
obedience  to  him  who  requires  the  oath. 

3j  4.  The  appeal  is  to  God  as  Jehovah,  God  of  heaven  and  God  of 
the  earth.  Jehovah  is  the  personal  name  of  God,  which  is  properly 
used  by  those  who  are  in  fellowship  with  him.  He  is  the  Author  of  all 
being,  and  therefore  of  heaven  and  earth ;  and  hence  the  arbiter  of 
the  destiny  of  the  oath-taker,  both  in  spiritual  and  material  things, 
both  in  this  life  and  in  that  which  is  to  come.  Not  of  the  daughters  of 
the  Kenaanite,  a  race  sinking  fast  into  ungodliness  and  unrighteous- 
ness, doomed  to  extirpation,  to  whom  the  promised  seed  is  to  succeed. 
The  kindred  of  Abraham  were  Shemites,  Hebrews,  and  still  retained 
some  knowledge  of  the  true  God,  and  some  reverence  for  him  and  his 
will.  5-8.  The  experienced  elder  of  Abraham's  house  does  not  wish 
to  bind  himself  by  an  oath  to  that  which  it  may  be  impossible  to  fulfil. 
He  makes  the  supposition  of  the  unv/iilingness  of  the  bride  whom  he 
may  select,  and  obtains  a  quittance  from  his  oath  m  that  case.  The 
patriarch,  however,  charges  him  not  to  bring  his  son  back  to  the  land 
of  his  fathers,  and  expresses  his  confidence  in  the  God  of  promise, 
that  he  will  direct  his  servant  to  the  suitable  wife  for  his  son.  His 
45 


354  MARRIAGE  OF  ISAAC. 


(Gen  xvi.  7).  This  is  the  Lord  in  the  function  of  an  angel  or 
messenger  opening  the  way  for  the  servant  of  Abraham.  He  does 
not  make  any  appearance  to  the  servant,  though  a  superintending 
Providence  is  strikingly  displayed  in  the  whole  affair.  9.  The  faithful 
elder  now  understands  and  takes  the  required  oath. 

10—14.  He  proceeds  on  his  journey.  Tooh  ten  camels.  These  are 
designed  for  conducting  the  bride  and  her  companions  home  to  his 
master.  All  the  best  belonging  to  his  master  in  his  hand.  This  refers 
to  the  presents  for  the  bride  and  her  friends,  and  to  the  accommoda- 
tions for  her  comfort  on  the  journey.  Aram-Naharaim.  Aram  was 
an  extensive  area,  embracing  not  only  the  country  west  of  the  Frat 
and  north  of  Palestine,  but  the  northern  part  of  Mesopotamia,  or  the 
country  between  the  Frat  and  the  Dijlah.  The  latter  region  is  for 
the  sake  of  distinction  called  Aram  of  the  two  rivers.  It  did  not  in- 
clude the  southern  part  of  Mesopotamia,  which  was  called  Shinar 
(Gen.  xi.  2),  and  probably  extended  only  to  the  Chaboras,  Khabour. 
The  part  of  it  in  which  Ilaran  was  situated  was  called  Padan-aram 
(Gen.  xxviii.  2).  The  city  of  Nahor.  It  is  probable  that  Nahor  ac- 
companied his  father,  Terah,  to  Ilarau  (Gen.  xi.  31).  If  not,  he  must 
have  followed  him  very  soon. 

11.  Made  the  camels  hneel,  for  repose.  The  time  tohen  the  maidens 
that  draw  loater  come  out.  The  evening  was  the  cool  part  of  the 
day.  The  simple  maidens  of  primitive  days  attended  personally  to 
domestic  affairs.  The  experienced  steward  might  therefore  naturally 
expect  to  see  the  high-born  damsels  of  the  land  at  the  public  well, 
which  had  probably  given  rise  to  the  neighboring  town.  12-14. 
The  prayer  of  the  aged  servant  is  conceived  in  a  spirit  of  earnest, 
childlike  faith.  The  matter  in  hand  is  of  extraordinary  importance. 
A  wife  is  to  be  found  for  the  heir  of  promise.  This  was  a  special  con- 
cern of  God,  and  so  the  single-hearted  follower  of  Abraham  makes  it. 
He  takes  upon  himself  the  choice  of  a  maiden  among  those  that  come 
to  draw,  to  whom  he  will  make  the  request  of  a  particular  act  of  kind- 
ness to  a  stranger,  and  he  prays  God  that  the  intended  bride  may  be 
known  by  a  ready  compliance  with  his  request.  The  three  qualifica- 
tions, then,  in  the  mind  of  the  venerable  domestic  for  a  bride  for  his 
master's  son,  are  a  pleasing  exterior,  a  kindly  disposition,  and  the 
approval  of  God. 

1.5-21.  The  answer  is  immediate  and  direct.  He  had  not  yet  done 
speahing,  when  the  answer  came.  A  damsel  very  fair  to  look  upon, 
satisfying  the  taste  of  the  old  man,  appears.     He  thereupon  prefers 


GEN.  XXIV.  355 

his  request,  vnth  which  she  promptly  complies.  The  old  man  waits  in 
wonder  and  silence  to  see  if  the  Lord's  approval  will  follow. 

22-28.  Rebekah  makes  herself  known  in  reply  to  his  inquiries.  A 
ring  of  gold.  The  single  ring  was  worn  in  the  nose,  the  side  cartilage 
of  whi'^h  was  pierced  for  the  purpose.  This  is  a  custom  of  the  East. 
A  beka  was  half  a  shekel,  somewhat  less  than  a  quarter  of  an  ounce. 
Ten  of  gold  in  weight.  Ten  bekas  would  be  about  two  ounces  and  a 
quarter.  If  shekels,  however,  be  understood,  the  weight  will  be  double. 
These  were  merely  a  reward  for  her  kindness  and  courtesy  to  a  stran- 
ger. Two  questions  are  now  asked  by  the  stranger,  —  the  one  relating 
to  her  kindred,  and  the  other  to  the  means  and  the  inclination  they 
had  to  entertain  a  stranger,  when  inns  were  not  yet  in  existence.  She 
anii.ounces  herself  to  be  the  daughter  of  his  master's  nephew,  and  as- 
sures him  of  the  requisite  accommodation. 

2G,  27.  Bowed  his  head  and  loorshipped.  The  bowing  of  the  head 
and  of  the  body  are  here  combined  to  indicate  the  aged  servant's  deep 
thankfulness  for  the  guidance  of  the  Lord.  27.  The  utterance  of  the 
mouth  accompanies  the  external  gesture  of  reverence.  28.  Her 
mother's  house;  those  who  were  in  the  department  of  the  females. 
We  may  imagine  with  what  excitement  and  alacrity  Rebekah  would 
communicate  the  extraordinary  intelligence. 

29-33.  The  reception  of  Abraham's  servant.  Laban  now  comes 
on  the  scene.  He  is  ready  to  run  with  his  sister  to  find  the  man,  and 
invite  him,  as  a  matter  of  course,  to  his  father's  house.  30.  When  he 
saw  the  ring.  The  presents  to  his  sister  assure  him  that  this  is  the 
envoy  of  some  man  of  wealth  and  position.  3 1 .  Thou  Messed  of  the 
Lord.  The  name  of  Jehovah  was  evidently  not  unfamiliar  to  Laban's 
ears.  He  calls  this  stranger  "  blessed  of  Jehovah,"  on  account  of  his 
language,  demeanor,  and  manifest  prosperity.  The  knowledge  and 
worship  of  the  living  God,  the  God  of  truth  and  mercy,  was  still  re- 
tained in  the  family  of  Nahor.  32,  33,  Being  warmly  invited,  the 
man  enters  the  house.  And  he  ungirded  the  camels.  Laban  is  the 
actor  here,  and  in  the  following  duties  of  hospitality.  The  men's  feet 
that  were  ivith  him.  It  comes  out  here,  incidentally,  as  it  was  reason- 
able to  infer  from  the  number  of  camels,  that  Abraham's  steward  had  a 
retinue  of  servants  with  him.  The  croAvning  act  of  an  Eastern  recep- 
tion is  the  presenting  of  food.  But  the  faithful  servant  must  deliver 
his  message  before  partaking  of  the  friendly  meal. 

34-49.  The  servant's  errand  told.  He  explains  his  business  in  a 
singularly  artless  and  pleasing  manner.     He  then  leaves  the  matter  in 


356  MARRIAGE  OF  ISAAC. 

tJie  hands  of  the  family.  36,  Given  unto  him  all  that  he  hath.  His 
children  by  Ilagai-  and  Keturah  were  dismissed  witli  portions  during 
his  life,  and  the  main  bulk  of  his  property  was  conveyed  to  Isaac. 

50-01.  The  servant's  return  with  Eebekah.  50,  51.  So  plain  an 
interposition  of  Providence  admits  of  no  refusal  on  the  part  of  those 
who  revere  the  Lord.  Bethuel  now  appears  as  a  concurring  party. 
Laban,  as  the  full  brother  of  Rebekah,  has  a  voice  in  the  disposal  of 
her  hand ;  but  the  father  only  has  the  power  to  ratify  the  contract. 
52,  53.  The  patriarch's  servant  first  bows  in  acknowledgment  to  the 
Lord,  who  had  now  manifested  his  approval  of  the  choice  he  had  made, 
and  then  proceeds  to  distribute  costly  gifts  to  the  bride,  and  to  her 
brother  and  mother.  54.  Now  at  length  the  thankful  guest  partakes 
of  the  fare  set  before  him  along  with  his  entertainers,  and  after  the 
night's  repose  requests  to  be  dismissed.  55.  A  few  days  ;  perhaps  a 
week  or  ten  days.  The  mother  and  brother  naturally  plead  for  a 
little  time  to  prepare  for  parting  with  Rebekah.  They  could  not 
expect  the  servant,  however,  to  stay  months.  57,  5S.  Inquire  at  her 
mouth.  This  is  the  only  free  choice  in  the  matter  that  seems  to  be 
given  to  Eebekah.  Her  consent  may  have  been  modestly  indicated, 
before  her  family  ratified  the  contract.  It  is  plain,  however,  that  it 
was  thought  proper  that  the  parents  should  receive  and  decide  upon  a 
proposal  of  marriage.  The  extent  to  which  the  maiden's  inclinations 
would  be  consulted  would  depend  veiy  much  on  the  custom  of  the 
country,  and  the  intelligence  and  good  feeling  of  the  parents.  In  later 
times  the  custom  became  very  arbitrary.  Rebekah's  decision  shows 
that  she  concurred  in  the  consent  of  her  relatives.  59-61.  And  her 
nurse.  Her  name,  we  learn  afterwards  (Gen.  xxxv.  8),  was  Debo- 
rah. The  nurse  accompanied  the  bride  as  her  confidential  adviser 
and  faithful  attendant,  and  died  in  her  service ;  a  beautiful  trait  of  an- 
cient manners.  The  blessing  consists  in  a  boundless  offspring,  and  the 
upper  hand  over  their  enemies.  These  are  indicative  of  a  thin  popu- 
lation, and  a  comparatively  rude  state  of  society.  And  her  damsels. 
We  here  learn,  again,  incidentally,  that  Rebekah  had  more  female 
attendants  than  her  nurse. 

62-07.  Isaac  receives  his  bride.  He  had  been  at  Beer-lahai-roi,  the 
scene  of  the  interview  of  Ilagar  with  the  angel  of  the  Lord,  —  a  spot 
calculated  to  awaken  thoughts  of  an  overruling  Providence.  To  medi- 
tate. This  is  a  characteristic  of  Isaac's  retiring,  contemplative  mood. 
Abraham  was  the  active,  authoritative  father ;  Isaac  was  the  passive, 
submissive   son.     To   meditate  was  to  hold   converse  with  his  own 


GEN.  XXV.  1-11.  S57 

thoughts,  to  ponder  on  the  import  of  that  never-to-be-forgotten  scene 
v/hen  he  was  laid  on  the  altar  bj  a  father's  hand,  and  a  ram  caught  in 
the  thicket  became  his  substitute,  and  to  pour  out  his  soul  unto  the 
God  of  his  salvation.  In  this  hour  of  his  grave  reflection  comes  bis 
destined  bride  with  her  faithful  escort  upon  his  view.  64-67.  Re- 
bekah  lights  off  the  camel.  Doubtless  the  conversation  by  the  way 
with  the  elder  of  Abraham's  house  had  made  her  aware  of  their  ap- 
proach to  the  residence  of  her  future  husband.  She  concludes  at  once 
that  this  must  be  he,  and,  alighting,  asks  if  it  be.  On  being  informed 
by  the  servant  that  this  is  his  young  master,  she  puts  on  the  vcU,  which 
covers  the  head,  and  hangs  down  gracefully  both  behind  and  before. 
The  aged  servant  reports  the  success  of  his  mission,  and  presents 
Eebekah.  Isaac  brings  his  cousin's  daughter  into  the  apartments 
formerly  occupied  by  his  mother,  and  accepts  her  as  his  wife.  The 
formalities  of  the  interview,  and  of  her  presentation  to  Abraham  as 
his  daughter-in-law,  are  all  untold.  And  he  loved  her.  This  is  the 
first  mention  of  the  social  affections.  It  comes  in  probably  because 
Isaac  had  not  before  seen  his  bride,  and  now  felt  his  heart  drawn 
towards  her,  when  she  was  presented  to  his  view.  All  things  were 
evidently  done  in  the  fear  of  God,  as  became  those  who  were  to  be 
the  progenitors  of  the  seed  of  promise.  We  have  here  a  description 
of  the  primeval  marriage.  It  is  a  simple  taking  of  a  woman  for  a  wife 
before  all  witnesses,  and  with  suitable  feelings  and  expression  of  rev- 
erence towards  God,  and  of  desire  for  his  blessing.  It  is  a  pure  and 
holy  relation,  reaching  back  into  the  realms  of  innocence,  and  fit  to  be 
the  emblem  of  the  humble,  confiding,  affectionate  union  between  the 
Lord  and  his  people. 


LI.    THE  DEATH  OF  ABRAHAM.  —  Geu.  xxv.  1-11. 

1.  iTirjp  Qeturah,  incense. 

2.  '{"-'C]  Zimran,  celebrated  in  song.  Y'VPt  Joishan,  fowler.  )'i'Q 
'Medan,  judge,  ""i;?  Midian,o;ie  who  measures,  pri";  Jishbaq,  he  who 
leaves,    r^nr  Shuach,  jszY. 

3.  td^::b  Letushim,  hammered,  sharpened.  C^Hsb  Leummim,  peo- 
ples. 

A.  nS'^3,  'Ephah,  darkness.  ".S?  'Epher,  dust.  S^'i'^^x  'Abida, 
father  of  knowledge.     riS'^Vis  Elda'ah,  hnoxving  ? 


358  THE  DEATH  OF  ABRAHAM. 

XXV.  1.  And  Abraham  added  and  took  a  wife,  and  her 
name  was  Koturali.  2.  And  she  bare  him  Zimran  and  Jok- 
shan  and  Medan  and  Midian  and  Ishbak  and  Shiiah.  3. 
And  Jokshan  begat  Sbeba  and  Dedan.  And  the  sons  of  De- 
dan  were  Asshurim  and  Letushim  and  Leummim.  4.  And 
the  sons  of  Midian,  Ephah  and  Eplier  and  Henok  and  Abida 
and  Eldaah.  All  these  were  the  children  of  Keturah.  5.  And 
Abraham  gave  all  that  he  had  unto  Isaac.  6.  And  unto  the 
sons  of  the  concubines,  which  Abraham  had,  gave  Abraham 
gifts,  and  sent  them  away  from  Isaac  his  son,  while  he  yet  lived 
eastward,  unto  the  land  of  the  East. 

7.  And  these  are  the  days  of  the  years  of  Abraham's  life, 
which  he  lived,  a  hundred  and  seventy  and  five  years.  8.  And 
Abraham  expired,  and  died  in  a  happy  old  age,  old  and  full ; 
and  was  gathered  to  his  peoples.  9.  And  Isaac  and  Ishmael, 
his  sons,  buried  him  in  the  cave  of  Makpelah,  in  the  field  of 
Ephron,  the  son  of  Zohar  the  Hittite,  wliich  is  before  Mamre. 
10.  The  field  which  Abraham  purchased  of  the  sons  of  Heth, 
there  was  buried  Abraham,  and  Sarah  his  wife.  11.  And  it 
came  to  pass  after  the  death  of  Abraham,  that  God  blessed  his 
son  Isaac  :  and  Isaac  dwelt  at  Beer-lahai-roi.  IT  25. 


Another  family  is  born  to  Abraham  by  Keturali,  and  portioned  off, 
after  which  he  dies  and  is  buried. 

1-6.  Added  and  took  a  wife.  According  to  the  laws  of  Hebrew 
composition,  this  event  may  have  taken  place  before  that  recorded  in 
the  close  of  the  previous  chapter.  Of  this  law  we  have  several  exam- 
ples in  this  very  chapter.  And  there  is  nothing  contrary  to  the  cus- 
toms of  that  period  in  adding  wife  to  wife.  We  cannot  say  that 
Abraham  was  hindered  from  taking  Keturah  in  the  lifetime  of  Sarah 
by  any  moral  feeling  which  would  not  also  have  hindered  him  from 
taking  Hagar.  It  has  been  also  noticed  that  Keturah  is  called  a  con- 
cubine, which  is  thought  to  imply  that  the  proper  wife  was  still  living  ; 
and  that  Abraham  was  a  very  old  man  at  the  death  of  Sarah.  But, 
on  the  other  hand,  it  is  to  be  remembered  that  these  sons  were  in  any 
case  born  after  the  birth  of  Isaac,  and  therefore  after  Abraham  was 


GEN.  XXV.  1-11.  359 

renewed  in  vital  powers.  If  this  renewal  of  vigor  remained  after  the 
birth  of  Isaac,  it  may  have  continued  some  time  after  tlie  death  of 
Sai-ah,  whom  he  survived  thirty -eight  years.  His  abstinence  from  any 
concubine  until  Sarah  gave  him  Ilagar  is  against  his  taking  any  other 
during  Sarah's  lifetime.  His  loneliness  on  the  death  of  Sarah  may 
have  prompted  him  to  seek  a  companion  of  his  old  age.  And  if  this 
step  was  delayed  till  Isaac  was  married,  and  therefore  separated  from 
him,  an  additional  motive  would  impel  him  in  the  same  direction.  He 
was  not  bound  to  raise  this  wife  to  the  full  rights  of  a  proper  wife, 
even  though  Sarah  were  dead.  And  six  sons  might  be  born  to  him 
twenty-iive  years  before  his  death.  And  if  Hagar  and  Ishmael  were 
dismissed  when  he  was  about  fifteen  years  old,  so  might  Keturah  when 
her  youngest  was  twenty  or  twenty-five.  We  are  not  warranted,  then, 
still  less  compelled,  to  place  Abraham's  second  marriage  before  the 
death  of  Sarah,  or  even  the  marriage  of  Isaac.  It  seems  to  appear  in 
the  narrative  in  the  order  of  time. 

2.  The  endeavors  to  ascertain  the  tribes  that  descended  from  these 
six  sons  of  Keturah  have  not  been  very  successful.  Zimran  has  been 
compared  with  Za/3pa/x,  (Ptol.  vi.  7.  5),  situated  west  of  Mecca  on  the 
Eed  Sea.  Jokshan  with  the  Kao-o-avrTat(Ptol.  vi.  7.  6),  and  with  the 
tribe  Jakish  among  the  Himyarites  in  South  Ai-abia.  Medan  with 
MoSidva  on  the  east  coast  of  the  Aelanitic  Gulf  Midian  is  found  in  two 
localities  west  of  the  Aelanitic  Gulf  and  east  of  the  Salt  Sea.  Among 
the  former,  Moses  afterwai'ds  found  refuge.  The  latter  are  probably 
east  of  Abraham's  residence.  Ishbak  is  compared  with  Shobek,  a 
place  in  Idumaea.  Shuah  probably  belongs  to  the  same  region.  He 
maybe  the  ancestor  of  Bildad  the  Shuhite  (Job  ii.  11).  Of  these, 
Midian  alone  appears  to  be  ascertained.  The  others  may  have  been 
absorbed  in  that  congeries  of  tribes,  the  Arabs. 

3.  4.  Sheba,  Dedau,  and  Asshurim  are  recurring  names  ( Gen.  x.  7, 
22,  28),  describing  other  tribes  of  Arabs  equally  unknown.  The  three 
sons  of  Dedan  may  be  traced  in  the  tribe  Asir  of  the  south  of  Ilejaz, 
the  Beni  Leits  of  Ilejaz,  and  the  Beni  Lam  of  the  borders  of  Mesopo- 
tamia. 4.  Of  the  sons  of  Midian,  Epha  is  mentioned  in  Is.  Ix.  G  along 
with  Midian.  Epher  is  compared  with  Beni  Ghifar  in  Ilejaz,  Henok 
with  Hanakye  north  of  Medinah,  Abida  with  the  Abide,  and  Eldaah 
with  the  TVadaa.  These  conjectures  of  Burckhardt  are  chiefly  useful 
in  showing  that  similar  names  are  still  existing  in  the  country.  There 
are  here  six  sons  of  Abraham,  seven  gi-andsons,  and  three  great-grand- 
sons, making   sixteen  descendants  by  Keturah.     If  there  were    any 


360  THE  DEATH  OF  ABRAHAM. 

daughters,  they  are  not  noticed.  It  is  not  customary  to  mention 
females,  unless  they  are  connected  with  leading  historical  characters. 
These  descendants  of  Abraham  and  Keturah  are  the  third  contribution 
of  Palgites  to  the  Joktanites,  who  constituted  the  original  element  of 
the  Arabs,  the  descendants  of  Lot  and  Ishmael  having  preceded  them. 
All  these  branches  of  the  Arab  nation  are  descended  from  Heber. 

5,  6,  Abraham  makes  Isaac  his  heir  (Gen.  xxiv.  3G).  He  gives 
portions  to  the  sons  of  the  concubines  during  his  lifetime,  and  sends 
them  away  to  the  East.  Ishmael  had  been  portioned  off  long  before 
(Gen.  xxi.  14).  The  East  is  a  general  name  for  Arabia,  which 
stretched  away  to  the  southeast  and  east  of  the  point  where  Abraham 
resided  in  the  south  of  Palestine.  The  northern  part  of  Arabia,  which 
lay  due  east  of  Palestine,  was  formerly  more  fertile  and  populous  than 
now.  The  8ons  of  Keturah  were  probably  dismissed  before  they  had 
any  children.  Their  notable  descendants,  according  to  custom,  are  added 
here  before  they  are  dismissed  from  the  main  Une  of  the  narrative. 

7-11.  The  death  of  Abraham.  His  years  were  a  hundred  and 
seventy-five.  He  survived  Sarah  thirty-eight  years,  and  Isaac's  mar- 
riage thirty-five.  His  grandfather  lived  a  hundred  and  forty-eight 
years,  his  father  two  hundred  and  five,  his  son  Isaac  a  hundred  and 
eighty,  and  his  grandson  Jacob  a  Imndred  and  forty-seven  ;  so  that  his 
years  were  the  full  average  of  that  period.  8.  Expired  —  breathed  his 
last.  In  a  happy  old  age,  in  external  and  internal  blessedness  (Gen. 
XV.  15).  Old  and  full  —  having  attained  to  the  standard  length  of  life 
in  his  days,  and  being  satisfied  with  this  life,  so  that  he  was  ready  and 
willing  to  depart.  Gathered  to  his  peoples  (Gen.  xv.  15).  To  be 
gathered  is  not  to  cease  to  exist,  but  to  continue  existing  in  another 
sphere.  His  peoples,  the  departed  families,  from  whom  he  is  descended, 
are  still  in  being  in  another  not  less  real  world.  This,  and  the  like 
expression  in  the  passage  quoted,  give  the  first  fact  in  the  history  of 
the  soul  after  death,  as  the  burial  is  the  first  step  in  that  of  the  body. 

9,  10.  Isaac  and  Ishmael,  in  brotherly  cooperation.  Ishmael  was 
the  eldest  son,  dwelt  in  the  presence  of  all  his  brethren,  and  had  a 
special  blessing.  The  sons  of  Keturah  were  fiir  away  in  the  East,  very 
young,  and  had  no  particular  blessing.  Ishmael  is  therefore  properly 
associated  with  Isaac  in  paying  the  last  offices  to  their  deceased  father. 
The  burying-place  had  been  prepared  before.  Its  purchase  is  here  re- 
hearsed with  great  precision  as  a  testimony  of  the  fact.  This  burial- 
ground  is  an  earnest  of  the  promised  possession. 

11.  This  verse  is  an  appendix  to  the  history  of  Abraham,  stating 


GEN.  XXV.  1-11.  361 

that  the  blessing  of  God,  which  he  had  enjoyed  till  his  death,  now 
descended  upon  his  son  Isaac,  who  abode  at  Beer-labai-roi.  The  gen- 
eral name  God  is  here  employed,  because  the  blessing  of  God  denotes 
the  material  and  temporal  jirosijcrity  which  had  attended  Abraham,  in 
comparison  with  other  men  of  his  day.  Of  the  spiritual  and  eternal 
blessings  connected  with  Jehovah,  the  proper  name  of  the  Author  of 
being  and  blessing,  we  shall  hear  in  due  time. 

The  section  now  completed  contains  the  seventh  of  the  documents 
commencing  with  the  formula,  "  these  are  the  generations."  It  begins 
in  the  eleventh  chapter  and  ends  in  the  twenty-fifth,  and  therefore 
contains  a  greater  number  of  chapters  and  amount  of  matter  than  the 
whole  of  the  preceding  narrative.  This  is  as  it  should  be  in  a  recox'd 
of  the  ways  of  God  with  man.  In  the  former  sections,  things  anterior 
and  external  to  man  come  out  into  the  foreground ;  they  lie  at  the 
basis  of  his  being,  his  mental  and  moral  birth.  In  the  present  section, 
things  internal  to  man  and  flowing  from  him  are  brought  into  view. 
These  are  coincident  with  the  growth  of  his  spiritual  nature.  The 
latter  are  no  less  momentous  than  the  former  for  the  true  and  full 
development  of  his  faculties  and  capacities. 

In  the  former  sections  the  absolute  being  of  God  is  assumed  ;  the 
beginning  of  the  heavens  and  the  earth  asserted.  The  reconstruction 
of  skies  and  land  and  the  creation  of  a  new  series  of  plants  and  ani- 
mals are  recorded.  This  new  creation  is  completed  by  the  creating  of 
man  in  the  image  of  God  and  after  his  likeness.  The  placing  of  man 
in  a  garden  of  fruit  trees  prepared  for  his  sustenance  and  gratification ; 
the  primeval  command,  with  its  first  lessons  in  language,  physics,  ethics, 
and  theology ;  the  second  lesson  in  speaking  when  the  animals  are 
named  ;  and  the  separation  of  man  into  the  male  and  the  female,  are 
followed  by  the  institutions  of  wedlock  and  the  Sabbath,  the  fountain- 
heads  of  sociality  with  man  and  God,  the  foreshadows  of  the  second 
and  first  tables  of  the  law.  The  ftil  of  man  in  the  second  lesson  of 
ethics ;  the  sentence  of  the  Judge,  containing  in  its  very  bosom  the 
intimation  of  mercy  ;  the  act  of  fratricide,  followed  by  the  genei-al  cor- 
ruption of  the  whole  race  ;  the  notices  of  Sheth,  of  calling  on  the  name 
of  Jehovah  begun  at  the  birth  of  Enosh,  of  Henok  who  walked  with 
God,  and  of  Noah  who  found  grace  in  his  sight ;  the  flood  sweeping 
away  the  corruption  of  man  while  saving  righteous  Noah ;  and  the 
confusion  of  tongues,  defeating  the  ambition  of  man,  while  preparing 
for  the  replenishing  of  the  earth  and  the  liberties  of  men  —  these  com- 


362  THE  DEATH  OF  ABRAHAM. 

plete  the  chain  of  prominent  facts  that  are  to  be  seen  standing  in  the 
background  of  man's  history.  These  are  all  moments,  potent  elements 
in  the  memory  of  man,  foundation-stones  of  his  history  and  philosophy. 
They  cannot  be  surmounted  or  ignored  without  absurdity  or  crimi- 
nality. 

In  the  section  now  completed  the  sacred  writer  descends  from  the 
general  to  the  special,  from  the  distant  to  the  near,  from  the  class  to 
the  individual.  He  dissects  the  soul  of  a  man,  and  discloses  to  our 
view  the  whole  process  of  the  spiritual  life  from  the  new-born  babe  to 
the  perfect'  man.  Out  of  the  womb  of  that  restless  selfish  race,  from 
whom  nothing  is  willingly  restrained  which  they  have  imagined  to  do, 
comes  forth  Abram,  with  all  the  lineaments  of  their  moral  image  upon 
liim.  The  Lord  calls  him  to  himself,  his  mercy,  his  blessing,  and  his 
service.  He  obeys  the  call.  That  is  the  moment  of  his  new  birth. 
The  acceptance  of  the  divine  call  is  the  tangible  fact  that  evinces  a  new 
nature.  Henceforth  he  is  a  disciple,  having  yet  much  to  learn  before 
he  becomes  a  master,  in  the  school  of  heaven.  From  this  time  forward 
the  spiritual  predominates  in  Abram  ;  very  little  of  the  carnal  appears. 
Two  sides  of  his  mental  character  present  themselves  in  alternate 
passages,  which  may  be  called  the  physical  and  the  metaphysical, 
or  the  things  of  the  body  and  the  things  of  the  soul.  In  the  former 
only  the  carnal  or  old  corrupt  nature  sometimes  appears  ;  in  the  lat- 
ter, the  new  nature  advances  from  stage  to  stage  of  spiritual  growth 
unto  perfection.  His  entrance  into  the  land  of  promise  is  followed 
by  his  descent  into  Egypt,  his  generous  forbearance  in  parting 
with  Lot,  his  valorous  conduct  in  rescuing  him,  and  his  dignified 
demeanor  towards  Melkizedec  and  the  king  of  Sodom.  The  second 
stage  of  its  sj)iritual  development  now  presents  itself  to  our  view ; 
on  receiving  the  promise.  Fear  not,  Abram :  I  am  thy  shield,  thy 
exceeding  great  reward,  he  believes  in  the  Lord,  who  counts  it  to 
him  for  righteousness,  and  enters  into  covenant  with  him.  This  is  the 
first  fruit  of  the  new  birth,  and  it  is  followed  by  the  birth  of  Ishmael. 
On  hearing  the  authoritative  announcement,  I  am  God  Almighty ; 
walk  before  me  and  be  perfect,  he  performs  the  first  act  of  that  obedi- 
ence which  is  the  keystone  of  repentance,  by  receiving  the  sign  of 
covenant,  and  proceeds  to  the  high  functions  of  holding  communion  and 
making  intercession  with  God.  These  spiritual  acts  are  followed  by 
the  destruction  of  the  cities  of  the  Jordan  vale,  with  the  preservation 
of  Lot,  the  sojourning  in  Gcrar,  the  birth  of  Isaac,  and  the  league  with 
Abimelek.     The  last  great  act  of  the  spiritual  life  of  Abraham  is  the 


GEN.  XXY.  1-11.  363 

surrender  of  his  only  son  to  the  will  of  God,  and  this  again  is  followed 
bj  the  death  and  burial  of  Sarah,  the  marriage  of  Isaac,  and  the 
second  marriage  of  Abraham. 

It  is  manifest  that  every  movement  in  the  physical  and  ethical  his- 
tory of  Abraham  is  fraught  with  instruction  of  the  deepest  interest  for 
the  heirs  of  immortality.  The  leading  points  in  spiritual  experience 
are  here  laid  before  us.  The  susceptibilities  and  activities  of  a  soul 
born  of  the  Spirit  are  unfolded  to  our  view.  These  are  lessons  for 
eternity.  Every  descendant  of  Abraham,  every  collateral  branch  of 
his  family,  every  contemporary  eye  or  ear-witness,  might  have  profited 
in  the  things  of  eternity  by  all  this  precious  treasury  of  spiritual  knowl- 
edge. Many  of  the  Gentiles  still  had,  and  all  might  have  had,  a 
knowledge  of  the  covenant  with  Noah,  and  a  share  in  its  promised 
blessings.  This  would  not  have  precluded,  but  only  promoted,  the 
mission  of  Abraham  to  be  the  father  of  the  seed  in  whom  all  the  fami- 
lies of  man  should  effectually  be  blessed.  And  in  the  meantime  it 
would  have  caused  to  be  circulated  to  the  ends  of  the  earth  that  new 
revelation  of  spiritual  experience  which  was  displayed  in  the  life  of 
Abraham  for  the  perfecting  of  the  saints. 


SECTION  XL  — ISAAC. 


Lll.     HISTORY  OF  ISHMAEL.  — Gen.  xxv.  12-18. 

13.  n"i2?  Nebajoth,  heights.  Tji?  Qeclar,  black.  ^N3ix  Adbeel, 
miracle  of  God  ?     tDb3'2  Mibsam,  siveet  odor. 

14.  S-C'ci-q  Mishma',  hearing.  Irsi'n  Dumali,  silence.  iCti^  Massa, 
burden. 

15.  ^'in  Chadar,  chamber ;  or  Tin  Chadad,  sharpness ;  Sta-^n  Tema. 
I^i::'!.  Jetur,  enclosure,  akin  to  ^'i:  a  waZ/,  and  nnili  a  wa?Z.  UJiS_3  Na- 
phish,  breathing,     ii^'i;?  Qedemah,  before,  eastward. 

16.  ^^n  eowr?,  village,  town. 

12.  And  tliese  are  the  generations  of  Ishmael,  Abraham's 
son,  whom  Hagar  the  Mizrite,  Sarah's  handmaid,  bare  unto 
Abraham.  18.  And  these  are  tlio  names  of  the  sons  of  Ish- 
mael, by  their  names,  after  their  generations :  the  firstborn  of 
Ishmael,  Nebaioth,  and  Kedar  and  Abdeel  and  Mibsam,  14. 
And  Mishma  and  Duniah  and  Massa,  15.  Hadar  and  Tema, 
Itur,  Napliish,  and  Kodcmah.  IG.  These  are  the  sons  of  Ish- 
mael, and  these  their  names,  in  their  towns,  and  in  their 
castles  :  twelve  princes  after  their  nations.  17.  And  these  are 
the  years  of  the  life  of  Ishmael,  a  hundred  and  thirty  and  seven 
years :  and  he  expired,  and  died,  and  was  gathered  unto  his 
peoples.  18.  And  they  dwelt  from  Havilah  unto  Shur,  that  is 
before  Mizraim,  as  thou  goest  to  Assliur  :  in  the  presence  of 
all  his  brethren  he  had  fallen.  G  1[n  26. 


According  to  custom,  before  the  history  of  the  principal  line  is  taken 
up,  that  of  the  collateral  branch  is  briefly  given.  Thus  Cain's  history 
is  closed  before  Sheth's  is  commenced ;  Japheth  and  Ham  are  before 


GEN.  XXV.  12-18.  365 

Sliem  ;  Haran  and  Nahor  before  Abram.  And  so  the  sons  of  Ketu- 
rali  are  first  dismissed  from  the  pages  of  history,  and  then  Ishmael. 

12.  The  present  passage  begins  with  the  formula,  "  and  these  are 
the  generations,"  and  forms  the  eighth  document  so  commencing.  The 
appearance  of  a  document  consisting  of  seven  verses  is  clearly  against 
the  supposition  that  each  of  these  documents  is  due  to  a  different  au- 
thor.    The  phrase  points  to  a  change  of  subject,  not  of  author. 

13-16.  Nebaioth  (Is.  Ix.  7)  is  preserved  in  the  Nabataei  inhabiting 
Arabia  Petraea,  and  extending  far  tovrard  the  East.  Kedar  (Is.  xxi. 
17)  appears  in  the  Cedrei  of  Pliny  (H.  N.  5.  12)  who  dwell  east  of 
Petraea.  Adheel  Mibsam,  and  Misltma  are  otherwise  unknown.  The 
last  is  connected  with  the  Mataat/Aevet?  of  PtoL  (v.  7.  21).  DumaJi  (Is. 
xxi.  11)  is  probably  Aov'/xe^a  (Ptol.  vi.  19.  7)  and  Domata  (Plin.  H. 
N.  6.  32)  and  Dumat  el-Jendel  in  Nejd  and  the  Syrian  desert,  llassa 
may  be  preserved  in  the  Maaavol  of  Ptolemy  (v.  19.  2),  northeast  of 
Duma.  Hadar  is  Iladad  in  1  Chron.  i.  30,  the  Sam.,  Onk.,  perhaps 
the  Sept.,  and  many  cod.  It  is  supposed  to  be  XarrTjvLa  (Polyb.), 
Attene,  and  to  lie  between  Oman  and  Bahrein.  Tema  (Job  vi.  19; 
Is.  xxi.  14 ;  Jer.  xxv.  23)  lay  on  the  borders  of  Nejd  and  the  Syrian 
desert.  Jetur  remains  in  Ituraea,  Jedur,  northeast  of  the  sea  of  Galilee. 
Some  suppose  the  Druses  descended  from  him.  Napkish  (1  Chron. 
vi.  19,  22)  lay  in  the  same  quarter.  Kedsmali  is  otherwise  unknown. 
16.  In  their  towns  and  in  their  castles.  The  former  are  unwalled  col- 
lections of  houses  or  perhaps  tents ;  the  latter,  fortified  keeps  or  en- 
campments. Twelve  princes,  one  for  each  tribe,  descended  from  his 
twelve  sons. 

17,  18.  Ishmael  dies  at  the  age  of  a  hundred  and  thirty-seven. 
From  Havilali,  on  the  borders  of  Ai-abia  Petraea  and  Felix.  Unto 
Shur,  on  the  borders  of  Arabia  and  Egypt.  This  was  the  original  seat 
of  the  Ishmaelites,  from  which  they  wandered  far  into  Arabia.  In  the 
presence  of  all  his  brethren  —  the  descendants  of  Abraham  by  Sarah 
and  Keturah,  those  of  Lot,  and  the  Egyptians  who  were  his  brethren 
or  near  kindred  by  his  mother  and  wife.  He  had  fallen  into  the  lot  of 
his  inheritance.  Thus  was  fulfilled  the  prediction  uttered  before  his 
birth  (Gen.  xvi.  12). 


366  BIRTH  OF  ESAU  AND  JACOB. 


LIII.    BIRTH  OF  ESAU  AND  JACOB.  —  Gen.  xxv.  19-34. 

20.  ■'ns   VaM^n,  ploughed  field ;  w  cut,  plough. 

25.  1^5  Esav,  hairy,  or  made. 

26.  Ip'il   Ja'aqob,  he  shall  take  the  heel. 

27.  nn  perfect,  peaceful,  plain.  The  epithet  refers  to  disposition, 
and  contrasts  the  comparatively"  civilized  character  of  Jacob  with  the 
rude  temper  of  Esau. 

30.  Dinx  Edom,  red. 

19.  And  these  are  the  generations  of  Isaac,  Abraham's  son : 
Abraham  begat  Isaac.  20.  And  Isaac  was  the  son  of  forty 
years  when  he  took  Rebekah,  daughter  of  Bethuel  the  Aram- 
ite  of  Paddan-aram,  sister  of  Laban  the  Aramite,  to  wife.  21. 
And  Isaac  entreated  the  Lord  in  regard  to  his  wife  ;  for  slie 
was  barren  :  and  the  Lord  was  entreated  of  him,  and  Rebekah 
his  wife  conceived.  22.  And  the  children  struggled  together 
within  her  :  and  she  said.  If  it  be  so,  why  am  I  thus  ?  And 
she  went  to  inquire  of  the  Lord.  23.  And  the  Lord  said  unto 
her,  Two  nations  are  in  thy  womb,  and  two  folks  shall  be  sep- 
arated from  thy  bowels  ;  and  folk  shall  be  stronger  than  folk, 
and  the  elder  shall  serve  the  younger.  24,  And  her  days  to 
be  delivered  were  fulfilled  :  and,  lo,  twins  were  in  her  womb. 
•25.  And  the  first  came  out  red,  all  of  him  like  a  hair  mantle  ; 
and  they  called  his  name  Esau.  26.  And  after  that  came  out 
his  brother,  and  his  hand  holding  Esau's  heel ;  and  he  called 
his  name  Jacob  :  and  Isaac  was  the  son  of  sixty  years  when 
she  bare  them. 

27.  And  tlic  boys  grew  :  and  Esau  was  a  man  cunning  in 
the  chase,  a  man  of  the  field  ;  and  Jacob  was  a  plain  man, 
dwelling  in  tents.  28.  And  Isaac  loved  Esau,  because  his  ven- 
ison was  in  his  mouth  ;  and  Rebekah  loved  Jacob.  29.  And 
Jacob  sod  pottage  :  and  Esau  went  in  from  the  field,  and  he 
was  faint.  30.  And  Esau  said  to  Jacob,  Let  mo  feed  now  on 
that  red,  red  :  for  I  am  faint.     Therefore  was  his  name  called 


GEN.  XXV.  19-34. 


367 


Edom.  31.  And  Jacob  said,  Sell  me  this  day  thy  birthright. 
32.  And  Esau  said,  Behold,  I  am  going  to  die  :  and  for  what 
is  this  birthright  to  me  ?  33.  And  Jacob  said,  Swear  to  me 
this  day  ;  and  he  sware  unto  him  ;  and  he  sold  his  birthright 
unto  Jacob.  34.  And  Jacob  gave  Esau  bread  and  pottage  of 
lentiles  ;  and  he  ate  and  drank,  and  rose  up  and  went  his  way  ; 
and  Esau  despised  his  birthright.  IT  27. 


The  ninth  document  here  begins  with  the  usual  phrase,  and  contin- 
ues to  the  end  of  the  thirty-fifth  chapter.  It  contains  the  history  of 
the  second  of  the  three  patriarchs,  or  rather,  indeed,  as  the  opening 
phrase  intimates,  of  the  generations  of  Isaac ;  that  is,  of  his  son  Jacob. 
Isaac  himself  makes  little  figure  in  the  sacred  history.  Born  when  his 
mother  was  ninety,  and  his  father  a  hundred  years  of  age,  he  is  of  a 
sedate,  contemplative,  and  yielding  disposition.  Consenting  to  be  laid 
on  the  altar  as  a  sacrifice  to  God,  he  had  the  stamp  of  submission  early 
and  deeply  impressed  on  his  soul.  His  life  corresponds  with  these 
antecedents.  Hence,  in  the  spiritual  aspect  of  his  character  he  was 
the  man  of  patience,  of  acquiescence,  of  susceptibility,  of  obedience. 
His  quabties  were  those  of  the  son,  as  Abraham's  were  those  of  the 
father.  He  carried  out,  but  did  not  initiate ;  he  followed,  but  did  not  lead ; 
he  continued,  but  did  not  commence.  Accordingly,  the  docile  and 
patient  side  of  the  saintly  character  is  now  to  be  presented  to  our  view. 

19-26.  The  birth  of  Esau  and  Jacob.  20.  TJie  son  of  forty  years. 
Hence  we  learn  that  Isaac  was  married  the  third  year  after  his 
mother's  death,  when  Abraham  was  in  his  hundred  and  fortieth  year. 
Bethuel  the  Aramaean.  As  Bethuel  was  a  descendant  of  Arpakshad, 
not  of  Aram,  he  is  here  designated,  not  by  his  descent,  but  by  his 
adopted  country  Aram.  By  descent  he  was  a  Kasdi  or  Kaldee.  21. 
Sarah  was  barren  for  at  least  thirty  years  ;  Rebekah  for  nineteen. 
This  drew  forth  the  prayer  of  Isaac  in  regard  to  his  wife.  The  heir 
of  promise  was  to  be  a  child  of  prayer,  and  accordingly  when  the 
prayer  ascended  the  fruit  of  the  womb  was  given.  22,  23.  Rebekah 
had  unwonted  sensations  connected  with  her  pregnancy.  She  said  to 
herself,  If  it  he  so,  if  I  have  conceived  seed,  why  am  I  thus,  why  this 
strange  struggle  within  me  ?  In  the  artlessness  of  her  faith  she  goes 
to  the  Lord  for  an  explanation.  "We  are  not  informed  in  what  way 
she  consulted  God,  or  how  he  replied.     The  expression,  she  went  to 


368  BIRTH  OF  ESAU  AKD  JACOB. 

inquire  of  the  Lord,  implies  that  there  was  some  place  of  worship  and 
commuuioa  with  God  by  prayer.  We  are  not  to  suppose  that  she 
went  to  Abraham,  or  any  other  prophet,  if  such  were  then  at  hand, 
when  we  have  no  intimation  of  this  in  the  tex.L  Her  communication 
with  the  Lord  seems  to  have  been  direct.  This  passage  conveys  to  us 
the  intimation  that  there  was  now  a  fixed  mode  and  perhaps  place  of 
inquiring  at  the  Lord.  The  Lord  answers  the  mother  of  the  promised 
seed.  Two  children  are  in  her  womb,  the  parents  of  two  nations,  dif- 
fering in  their  dispositions  and  destinies.  The  one  is  to  be  stronger 
than  the  other.  The  order  of  nature  is  to  be  reversed  in  them ;  for 
the  elder  will  serve  the  younger.  Their  struggles  in  the  womb 
are  a  prelude  to  their  future  history. 

24-2 G.  The  twins  are  in  due  time  born.  The  difference  is  manifest 
in  the  outward  appearance.  The  first  is  red  and  hairy.  These  quali- 
ties indicate  a  passionate  and  precocious  nature.  He  is  called  Usaic 
the  hairy,  or  the  made  up,  the  prematurely  developed.  His  brother  is 
like  other  children.  An  act  takes  place  in  the  very  birth  foreshadow- 
ing their  future  history.  The  second  has  a  hold  of  his  brother's  heel, 
as  if  he  would  trip  him  up  from  his  very  birth.  Hence  he  is  called 
Jacob  the  lorestler,  v/ho  takes  hold  by  the  heel. 

27-34.  The  brothers  prove  to  be  different  in  disposition  and  habit. 
The  rough  fiery  Esau  takes  to  the  field,  and  becomes  skilled  in  all 
modes  of  catching  game.  Jacob  is  of  a  homely,  peaceful,  orderly  turn, 
dwelling  in  tents  and  gathering  round  him  the  means  and  appliances 
of  a  quiet  social  life.  The  children  please  their  parents  according  as 
they  supply  what  is  wanting  in  themselves.  Isaac,  himself  so  sedate, 
loves  the  wild,  wandering  hunter,  because  he  supplies  him  with  pleas- 
ures which  his  own  quiet  habits  do  not  reach.  Rebekah  becomes  at- 
tached to  the  gentle,  industrious  shepherd,  who  satisfies  those  social  and 
spiritual  tendencies  in  which  she  is  more  dependent  than  Isaac.  Esau 
is  destructive  of  game  ;  Jacob  is  constructive  of  cattle. 

29-34.  A  characteristic  incident  in  their  early  life  is  attended  with 
very  important  consequences.  Jacob  sod  pottage.  He  has  become  a 
sage  in  the  practical  comforts  of  life.  Esau  leaves  the  field  for  the 
tent,  exhausted  with  fatigue.  The  sight  and  smell  of  Jacob's  savory 
dish  of  lentile  soup  are  very  tempting  to  a  hungry  man.  Let  me  feed 
now  on  that  red,  red  broth.  He  does  not  know  how  to  name  it.  The 
lentile  is  common  in  the  country,  and  forms  a  cheap  and  palatable  dish 
of  a  reddish  brown  color,  with  which  bread  seems  to  have  been  eaten. 
The  two  brothers  were  not  congenial.     They  would  therefore  act  each 


GEN.  XXV.  19-.34.  369 

independently  of  the  other,  and  provide  each  for  himself.  Esau  was 
no  doubt  occasionally  rude  and  hasty.  Hence  a  selfish  habit  would 
grow  up  and  gather  strength.  He  was  probably  wont  to  supply  him- 
self with  such  fare  as  suited  his  palate,  and  might  have  done  so  on  this 
occasion  without  any  delay.  But  the  fine  flavor  and  high  color  of  the 
mess,  which  Jacob  was  preparing  for  himself,  takes  his  fancy,  and 
nothing  will  do  but  the  red  red.  Jacob  obviously  regarded  this  as  a 
rude  and  selfish  intrusion  on  his  privacy  and  property,  in  keeping  with 
similar  encounters  that  may  have  taken  place  between  the  brothers. 

It  is  here  added,  therefore  was  Ms  name  called  Edom,  that  is.  Red. 
The  origin  of  surnames,  or  second  names  for  the  same  person  or  place, 
is  a  matter  of  some  moment  in  the  fair  interpretation  of  an  ancient 
document.  It  is  sometimes  hastily  assumed  that  the  same  name  can 
only  owe  its  application  to  one  occasion ;  and  hence  a  record  of  a  sec- 
ond occasion  on  which  it  was  applied  is  regarded  as  a  discrei^ancy. 
But  the  error  lies  in  the  interpreter,  not  in  the  author.  The  propriety 
of  a  particular  name  may  be  marked  by  two  or  more  totally  difierent 
circumstances,  and  its  application  renewed  on  each  of  these  occasions. 
Even  an  imaginary  cause  may  be  assigned  for  a  name,  and  may  serve 
to  originate  or  renew  its  application.  The  two  brothers  now  before  us 
afford  very  striking  illustrations  of  the  general  principle.  It  is  pretty 
certain  that  Esau  would  receive  the  secondary  name  of  Edom,  which 
ultimately  became  primary  in  point  of  use,  from  the  red  complexion  of 
skin,  even  from  his  birth.  But  the  exclamation  "  that  red  red,"  ut- 
tered on  the  occasion  of  a  very  important  crisis  in  his  history,  renewed 
the  name,  and  perhaps  tended  to  make  it  take  the  place  of  Esau  in  the 
history  of  his  race.  Jacob,  too,  the  holder  of  the  heel,  received  this 
name  from  a  circumstance  occurring  at  his  birth.  But  the  buying  of 
the  birthright  and  the  gaining  of  the  blessing,  were  two  occasions  in 
his  subsequent  life  on  which  he  merited  the  title  of  the  supplanter  or 
the  holder  by  the  heel  (Gen.  xxvii.  36).  These  instances  prepare  us 
to  expect  other  examples  of  the  same  name  being  applied  to  the  same 
object,  for  difierent  reasons  on  different  occasions. 

31.  Sell  me  this  day  thy  birthright.  This  brings  to  light  a  new 
cause  of  variance  between  the  brothers.  Jacob  was  no  doubt  aware 
of  the  prediction  communicated  to  his  mother,  that  the  elder  should 
serve  the  younger.  A  quiet  man  like  him  would  not  otherwise  have 
thought  of  reversing  the  order  of  nature  and  custom.  In  after  times 
the  right  of  primogeniture  consisted  in  a  double  portion  of  the  father's 
goods  (Deut.  xxi.  17),  and  a  certain  rank  as  the  patriarch  and  priest 
47 


370  EVENTS  OF  ISAAC'S  LIFE. 

of  the  house  on  the  death  of  the  father.  But  in  the  case  of  Isaac  there 
was  the  far  higher  dignity  of  chief  of  the  chosen  family  and  heir  of  the 
promised  blessing,  with  all  the  immediate  and  ultimate  temjioral  and 
eternal  benefits  therein  included.  Knowing  all  this,  Jacob  is  willing 
to  purchase  the  birthright,  as  the  most  peaceful  way  of  bringing  about 
that  supremacy  which  was  destined  for  him.  He  is  therefore  cautious 
and  prudent,  even  conciliating  in  his  proposal.  He  availed  himself  of 
a  weak  moment  to  accomplish  by  consent  what  was  to  come.  Yet  he 
lays  no  necessity  on  Esau,  but  leaves  him  to  his  own  free  choice.  We 
must  therefore  beware  of  blaming  him  for  endeavoring  to  win  his 
brother's  concurrence  in  a  thing  that  was  already  settled  in  the  purpose 
of  God.  His  chief  error  lay  in  attempting  to  anticipate  the  arrange- 
ments of  Providence.  32.  Esau  is  strangely  ready  to  dispose  of  hi5 
birthright  for  a  trivial  present  gratification.  He  might  have  obtained 
other  means  of  recruiting  nature  equally  suitable,  but  he  will  sacrifice 
anything  for  the  desire  of  the  moment.  Any  higher  import  of 
the  right  he  was  prepared  to  sell  so  cheap  seems  to  have  escaped 
his  view,  if  it  had  ever  occurred  to  his  mind.  33.  Jacob,  however,  is 
deeply  in  earnest.  He  will  bring  this  matter  within  the  range  of 
heavenly  influence.  He  will  have  God  solemnly  invoked  as  a  witness 
of  the  transfer.  Even  this  does  not  startle  Esau.  There  is  not  a 
word  about  the  price.  It  is  plain  that  Esau's  thoughts  were  altogether 
on  "  the  morsel  of  meat."  He  swears  unto  Jacob.  34.  He  then  ate 
and  drank,  and  rose  up  and  went  his  way,  as  the  sacred  writer  graphi- 
cally describes  his  reckless  course.  Most  truly  did  he  despise  his 
birthright.  His  mind  did  not  rise  to  higher  or  further  things.  Such 
was  the  boyhood  of  these  wondrous  twins. 


LTV.    EVENTS  OF  ISAAC'S  LIFE.  —  Gen.  xxvi. 

5.  ri"i'aTr?3  charge,  ordinance.  H'^^  command,  special  order,  ph 
decree,  statute,  engraven  on  stone  or  metal,  nnin  law,  doctrine,  sys- 
tem of  moral  truth. 

10.  piU5)  'Eseq,  strife. 

21.  ti3^b  Sitnah,  opposition. 

22.  ninh"}  Rechoboth,  room. 
26.  wnx  AchnzzaXh,  possession. 
•33.  ni'a'i!  Shib'ah,  seven  ;  oath. 


GEN.  :kxyi.  371 

34.  ni'i^tiT";  Jeliudith,  praised.  "''ixa  Beeri,  of  a  well,  naba 
Basemath,  sweet  smell,     "j'^ix  Elon,  oak. 

XXYI.  1.  And  there  was  a  famine  in  the  land,  beside  the 
first  famine  that  was  in  the  days  of  Abraham :  and  Isaac  went 
unto  Abimelek,  king  of  the  Philistines,  unto  Gerar.  2.  And 
the  Lord  appeared  unto  him,  and  said,  Go  not  down  into 
Mizraim  :  dwell  in  the  land  of  which  I  shall  tell  thee.  3.  So- 
journ in  this  land,  and  I  will  be  with  thee  and  bless  thee ;  for 
unto  thee  and  unto  thy  seed  will  I  give  all  these  lands,  and  I 
will  establish  the  oath  which  I  sware  unto  Abraham  thy  father. 
4.  And  I  will  multiply  thy  seed  as  the  stars  of  heaven,  and  give 
unto  thy  seed  all  these  lands  ;  and  blessed  in  thy  seed  shall  be 
all  the  nations  of  the  earth  :  5.  Because  Abraham  hearkened 
to  my  voice,  and  kept  my  charge,  my  commandments,  my  stat- 
utes, and  my  laws. 

6.  And  Isaac  dwelt  in  Gerar.  7.  And  the  men  of  the  place 
asked  about  his  wife,  and  he  said.  She  is  my  sister :  for  he 
feared  to  say,  My  wife,  lest  the  men  of  the  place  kill  me  for 
Rebekah  :  because  she  was  fair  to  look  upon.  8.  And  it  came 
to  pass,  that  he  was  there  a  long  time,  and  Abimelek,  king  of 
the  Philistines,  looked  through  the  window,  and  saw,  and  be- 
hold Isaac  sporting  with  Eebekah  his  wife.  9.  And  Abimelek 
called  Isaac,  and  said.  Behold,  surely  she  is  thy  wife  ;  and  how 
saidst  thou,  She  is  my  sister  ?  And  Isaac  said  unto  him.  Be- 
cause I  said,  Lest  I  die  for  her.  10.  And  Abimelek  said,  What 
is  this  thou  hast  done  to  us  ?  Lightly  migbt  one  of  the  people 
have  lain  with  thy  wife,  and  thou  shouldest  have  brought 
guiltiness  upon  us.  11.  And  Abimelek  commanded  all  the 
people,  saying.  He  that  toucheth  this  man  or  his  wife  shall 
surely  die. 

12.  And  Isaac  sowed  in  that  land,  and  received  in  the  same 
year  a  hundred-fold  :  and  the  Lord  blessed  him.  13.  And 
the  man  grew,  and  went  on,  and  grew  until  he  became  very 
great.     14.  And  he  had  possession  of  flocks,  and  possession 


372  EVENTS  OF  ISAAC'S  LIFE. 

of  herds,  and  great  store  of  servants :  and  the  Philistines 
envied  him.  15.  And  all  the  wells  which  his  father's  servants 
had  digged  in  the  days  of  Abraham  his  father,  the  Philistines 
had  stopped  them  and  filled  them  with  dnst.  And  Abimelek 
said  unto  Isaac,  Go  from  us,  for  thou  art  much  mightier  than  we. 

17.  And  Isaac  went  thence,  and  pitched  in  the  valley  of 
Gerar,  and  dwelt  there.  18.  And  Isaac  again  digged  the 
vrells  of  water,  which  they  had  digged  in  the  days  of  Abraham 
In's  father,  and  the  Philistines  stopped  them  after  the  death  of 
Abraham  :  and  he  called  them  names  after  the  names  which 
his  father  had  called  them.  19.  And  Isaac's  servants  digged 
in  the  valley,  and  found  there  a  well  of  spring  water.  20. 
And  the  herdmen  of  Gerar  strove  with  Isaac's  herdmen,  saying, 
The  water  is  ours :  and  he  called  the  name  of  the  well  Esek, 
because  they  strove  with  him.  21.  And  they  digged  another 
well ;  and  strove  not  for  that  also  ;  and  he  called  the  name  of 
it  Sitnah.  22.  And  he  removed  thence,  and  digged  another 
well ;  and  they  strove  not  for  it  ;  and  he  called  the  name  of  it 
Rchoboth,  and  said.  For  now  the  Lord  hath  made  room  for  us, 
and  we  shall  be  fruitful  in  the  land. 

23.  And  he  went  up  thence  to  Beer-sheba.  24.  And  the 
LoRd  appeared  to  him  in  that  night,  and  said,  I  am  the  God 
of  Abraham  thy  father  :  fear  not,  for  I  am  with  thee,  and  will 
bless  thee,  and  multiply  thy  seed  for  the  sake  of  Abraham  my 
servant.  25.  And  he  builded  there  an  altar,  and  called  on  the 
name  of  the  Lord,  and  pitched  there  his  tent ;  and  there  Isaac's 
servants  digged  a  well. 

26.  And  Abimelek  went  to  him  from  Gerar,  and  Ahuzzath 
his  friend,  and  Phikol  the  captain  of  his  host.  27.  And  Isaac 
said  unto  them,  Why  are  ye  come  to  me,  and  ye  hated  me, 
and  sent  me  away  from  you  ?  28.  And  they  said.  We  saw 
certainly  that  the  Lord  was  with  thee  :  and  we  said,  Let  there 
be  now  an  oath  betwixt  us,  between  us  and  thee,  and  let  us 
make  a  covenant  with  thee.  29.  That  thou  wilt  do  us  no 
hurt,  as  we  have  not  touched  thee,  and  as  we  have  done  unto 


GEN.  XXVI.  373 

thee  only  good,  and  sent  thee  away  in  peace  ;  thou  art  now 
blessed  of  the  Lord.  30.  And  he  made  them  a  feast,  and  they 
ate  and  drank.  31.  And  they  rose  up  early  in  the  morning, 
and  sware  one  to  another :  and  Isaac  sent  them  away,  and 
they  went  from  him  in  peace.  32.  And  it  came  to  pass  in  that 
day,  that  Isaac's  servants  came  and  told  him  concerning  the 
well  which  they  had  digged  ;  and  they  said  unto  him,  We  have 
found  water.  33.  And  he  called  it  Sheba.  Therefore  the 
name  of  the  city  is  Beer-sheba  unto  this  day.  §  34. 

34.  And  Esau  was  the  son  of  forty  years,  and  he  took  a 
wife,  Judith,  daughter  of  Beeri  the  Hittite,  and  Basemath, 
daughter  of  Elon  the  Hittite  ;  35.  And  they  were  a  grief  of 
mind  to  Isaac  and  to  Rebekah.  §  35. 


This  chapter  presents  the  leading  events  in  the  quiet  life  of  Isaac. 
It  is  probable  that  Abraham  was  now  dead.  In  that  case,  Esau  and 
Jacob  would  be  at  least  fifteen  years  of  age  when  the  following  event 
occurred. 

1-5.  Renewal  of  the  promise  to  Isaac.  A  famine  in  the  land.  "We 
left  Isaac,  after  the  death  of  Abraham,  at  Beer-lahai-roi  (Gen.  xxv. 
11).  The  preceding  events  have  only  brought  us  up  to  the  same 
point  of  time.  This  well  was  in  the  land  of  the  south  (xxiv.  62). 
The  present  famine  is  distinguished  from  that  which  occurred  in  the 
time  of  Abraham  (xii.  10).  The  interval  between  them  is  at  least 
a  hundred  years.  The  author  of  this,  the  ninth  document,  is,  we  find, 
acquainted  with  the  seventh  document ;  and  the  famine  to  which  he 
refers  is  among  the  earliest  events  recorded  in  it.  There  is  no  reason 
to  doubt,  then,  that  he  has  the  whole  history  of  Abraham  before  his 
mind.  Unto  Ahimelelc  unto  Gerar.  The  Abimelek  with  whom  Abra- 
ham had  intercourse  about  eighty  years  before  may  have  been  the 
father  of  the  present  sovereign.  Both  Abimelek  and  Phikol  seem  to 
have  been  ofiicial  names.  Gerar  (x.  19)  was  apparently  on  the  brook 
of  Mizi-aim  (Numb,  xxxiv.  5),  the  Wady  el-Arish,  or  the  Wady  el- 
Khubarah,  a  northern  affluent  of  the  former,  or  in  the  interval  between 
them.  It  is  on  the  way  to  Egypt,  and  is  the  southern  city  of  the 
Philistines,  who  probably  came  from  Egypt  (x.  14).  Isaac  was  draw- 
ing towards  Egypt,  when  he  came  to  Gerar. 


374  EVENTS  OF  ISAAC'S  LITE. 

2-5.  Isaac  is  now  the  heir,  and  therefore  the  holder,  of  the  promise. 
Hence  tlie  Lord  enters  into  communication  with  him.  First,  the 
present  difficulty  is  met.  Go  not  down  into  Mizraim,  the  land  of  com, 
even  when  other  lands  were  barren.  Dwell  in  the  land  of  which  I 
shall  tell  thee.  This  reminds  us  of  the  message  to  Abraham  (xii.  1). 
The  land  here  spoken  of  refers  to  "  all  these  lands  "  mentioned  in  the 
following  verses.  Sojourn  in  this  land:  turn  aside  for  the  present,  and 
take  up  thy  temporary  abode  here.  Next,  the  promise  to  Abraham  is 
renewed  with  some  variety  of  expression.  /  will  be  with  thee  (xxi. 
22),  a  notable  and  comprehensive  promise,  afterwards  embodied  in  the 
name  Immanuel,  God  with  us.  Unto  thee  and  unto  thy  seed.  This 
was  fulfilled  to  his  seed  in  due  time.  All  these  lands,  now  parcelled 
out  among  several  tribes.  And  blessed  in  thy  seed  (xii.  3,  xxii.  18). 
This  is  the  great,  universal  promise  to  the  whole  human  race  through 
the  seed  of  Abraham,  twice  explicitly  announced  to  that  patriarch. 
All  the  nations.  In  constancy  of  purpose  the  Lord  contemplates,  even 
in  the  special  covenant  with  Abraham,  the  gathering  in  of  the  nations 
under  the  covenant  with  Noah  and  with  Adam  (Gen.  ix.  9 ;  Hos.  vi. 
7).  Because  Abraham  hearkened  to  my  voice,  in  all  the  great  mo- 
ments of  his  life,  especially  in  the  last  act  of  proceeding  on  the  divine 
command  to  offer  Isaac  himself.  Abraham,  by  the  faith  which  flows 
from  the  new  birth,  was  united  with  the  Loi'd,  his  shield  and  exceed- 
ing great  reward  (xv.  1),  with  God  Almighty,  who  quickened  and 
strengthened  him  to  walk  before  him  and  be  perfect  (xvii.  1).  The 
Lord  his  righteousness  worketh  in  him,  and  his  merit  is  reflected  and 
reproduced  in  him  (xxii.  IG,  18).  Hence  the  Lord  reminds  Isaac  of 
the  oath  which  he  had  heard  at  least  fifty  years  before  confirming  the 
promise,  and  of  the  declaration  then  made  that  this  oath  of  confirma- 
tion was  sworn  because  Abraham  had  obeyed  the  voice  of  God.  How 
deeply  these  Avords  would  penetrate  into  the  soul  of  Isaac,  the  intended 
victim  of  that  solemn  day  !  But  Abraham's  obedience  was  displayed 
in  all  the  acts  of  his  new  life.  He  kept  the  charge  of  God,  the 
special  commission  he  had  given  him ;  his  commandments,  his  express 
or  occasional  orders ;  his  statutes,  his  stated  prescriptions,  graven  on 
stone ;  his  laws,  the  great  doctrines  of  moral  obligation.  This  is  that 
unreserved  obedience  which  flows  from  a  living  faith,  and  withstands 
the  temptations  of  the  flesh. 

6-11.  Rebekah  preserved  from  dishonor  in  Gerar.  Gerar  was 
probably  a  commercial  town  trading  with  Egypt,  and  therefore  Isaac's 
wants  during  the  famine  are  here  supplied.     "  The  men  of  the  place  " 


GEN.  XXVI.  375 

were  struck  with  the  appearance  of  Rebekah,  "  because  she  was  fair." 
Isaac,  in  answer  to  their  inquiries,  pretends  that  she  is  his  sister,  feel- 
ing that  his  life  was  in  peril,  if  she  was  known  to  be  his  wife.  Re- 
bekah was  at  this  time  not  less  than  thirty-five  years  mai-ried,  and  had 
two  sons  upwards  of  fifteen  years  old.  She  was  still  however  in  the 
prime  of  life,  and  her  sons  were  probably  engaged  in  pastoral  and 
other  field  pursuits.  From  the  compact  between  Abraham  and  Sarah 
(xx.  13),  and  from  this  case  of  Isaac  about  eighty  years  after,  it 
appears  that  this  was  a  ready  pretence  with  married  people  among 
strangers  in  those  times  of  social  insecurity.  8-11.  Abimelek  ob- 
serves Isaac  sporting  with  Rebekah  as  only  husband  and  wife  should, 
constrains  him  to  confess  that  she  is  his  wife,  charges  him  with  the 
impropriety  of  his  conduct,  and  commands  his  people  to  refrain  from 
harming  either  of  them  on  pain  of  death.  We  see  how  insecure  a 
female's  honor  was  in  those  days,  if  she  was  in  a  strange  land,  and  had 
not  a  band  of  men  to  keep  back  the  hand  of  violence.  We  perceive 
also  that  God  mercifully  protects  his  chosen  ones  from  the  perils  which 
they  bring  upon  themselves  by  the  vain  self-reliance  and  wicked  policy 
of  the  old  corrupt  nature.  This  remnant  of  the  old  man  we  find  in 
the  believers  of  old,  as  in  those  of  the  present  time,  though  it  be  dif- 
ferent and  far  less  excusable  in  its  recent  manifestations. 

12—16.  The  growing  prosperity  of  Isaac.  And  Isaac  soived  in  that 
land.  Tliis  does  not  imply  a  fixed  property  in  the  soil,  but  only  an 
annual  tenancy.  A  hundred-fold.  The  rates  of  increase  vary  from 
thirty  to  a  hundred.  Sixty-fold  is  very  good,  and  was  not  unusual  in 
Palestine.  A  hundred-fold  was  rare,  and  only  in  spots  of  extraordi- 
nary fertility.  Babylonia,  however,  yielded  two  hundred  and  even 
three  hundred-fold,  according  to  Herodotus  (I.  193).  Thus  the  Lord 
began  to  "  bless  him."  13,  14.  The  amazing  growth  of  the  stranger's 
wealth  in  flocks  and  herds  and  servants  awakens  the  envy  of  the  inhab- 
itants. 15.  The  digging  of  the  well  was  an  enterprise  of  great  interest 
in  rural  affairs.  It  conferred  a  sort  of  ownership  on  the  digger,  espe- 
cially in  a  country  where  water  was  precious.  And  in  a  primeval 
state  of  society  the  well  was  the  scene  of  youthful  maidens  drawing 
water  for  domestic  use,  and  of  young  men  and  sometimes  maidens 
watering  the  bleating  flocks  and  lowing  herds,  and  therefore  the  gath- 
ering centre  of  settled  life.  Hence  the  envious  Philistines  were  afraid 
that  froni  a  sojourner  he  would  go  on  to  be  a  settler,  and  acquire 
rights  of  property.  Tliey  accordingly  took  the  most  effectual  means 
of  making  his  abiding  place  uncomfortable,  when  they  stopped  up  the 


376  EVENTS  OE  ISAAC'S  LIEE. 

wells,  16.  At  length  the  sovereign  advised  a  separation,  if  he  did  not 
enjoin  the  departure  of  Isaac. 

17-22.  Isaac  retires,  and  sets  about  the  digging  of  wells.  He  re- 
treats from  Gerar  and  its  suburbs,  and  takes  up  his  abode  in  the  valley, 
or  wady  of  Gerar.  These  wadys  are  the  hollows  in  which  brooks  flow, 
and  therefore  the  well-watered  and  fertile  parts  of  the  country.  18. 
He  digs  again  the  old  wells,  and  calls  them  by  the  old  names.  19-22. 
He  commences  the  digging  of  new  ones.  For  the  first  the  herdmen 
of  Gerar  strive,  claiming  the  water  as  their  property.  Isaac  yields. 
He  digs  another ;  they  strive,  and  he  again  yields.  He  now  removes 
apparently  into  a  distinct  region,  and  digs  a  third  well,  for  which  there 
is  no  contest.  This  he  calls  Rehoboth,  room,  —  a  name  which  appears 
to  be  preserved  in  Wady  er-Ruhaibeh,  near  which  is  "Wady  esh-Shu- 
tein,  corresponding  to  Sitnah.  For  now  the  Lord  hath  made  room  for 
us.  Isaac's  homely  realizing  faith  in  a  present  and  presiding  Lord 
here  comes  out. 

23-25.  Isaac  now  proceeds  to  Beer-sheba.  Went  up.  It  was  an  as- 
cent from  Wady  er-Ruhaibeh  to  Beer-sheba ;  which  was  near  the  water- 
shed between  the  Mediterranean  and  the  Salt  Sea.  In  that  night,  —  the 
night  after  his  arrival,  in  a  dream  or  vision.  I  am  the  God  of  Abra- 
ham thy  father.  Isaac  is  again  and  again  reminded  of  the  relation  in 
which  his  father  stood  to  God.  That  relation  still  subsists  ;  for  Abra- 
ham still  lives  with  God,  and  is  far  nearer  to  him  than  he  could  be  on 
earth.  "The  God  of  Abraham"  is  another  name  for  Jehovah.  Fear 
not,  as  he  had  said  to  Abraham  after  his  victory  over  the  four  kings 
(xv.  1).  Then  follow  the  reasons  for  courage:  I,  with  thee,  blessing 
thee,  multiplying  thy  seed  ;  a  reassurance  of  three  parts  of  the  promise 
involving  all  the  rest.  Then  comes  the  instructive  reason  for  this 
assurance,  — for  the  sake  of  Abraham  my  servant.  25.  An  altar,  — 
the  first  on  record  erected  by  Isaac.  Called  on  the  name  of  the  Lord, 
—  engaged  in  the  solemn  and  public  invocation  of  Jehovah  (iv.  26, 
xii.  8).  His  tent  there.  It  was  hallowed  ground  to  his  father  (xxi. 
33),  and  now  to  himself.  Digged  a  well,  and  thereby  took  possession 
of  the  soil  at  least  for  a  time.  We  hear  of  this  well  again  in  the  next 
passage. 

26-33.  The  treaty  with  Abimelek.  This  is  an  interview  similar  to 
that  which  Abraham  had  with  the  king  of  Gerar ;  and  its  object  is  a 
renewal  of  the  former  league  between  the  parties.  Besides  Phikol, 
the  commander-in-chief,  he  is  now  accompanied  by  Ahuzzath,  his  privy 
counsellor.     27-29.  Isaac  upbraids  him  with  his  unkindness  in  sending 


GEN.  xxvn.  377 

him  away,  and  his  inconsistency  in  again  seeking  a  conference  with 
him.  We  clearly  saw.  His  prosperity  was  such  as  to  be  a  manifest 
token  of  the  Lord's  favor.  Hence  they  desired  the  security  of  a  treaty 
with  him  by  an  oath  of  execration  on  the  transgressor.  Do  us  no 
hurt.  The  covenant  is  one-sided,  as  expressed  by  Abimelek.  As  we 
have  not  touched  thee.  This  implies  the  other  side  of  the  covenant. 
Thou  art  now  blessed  of  Jehovah.  This  explains  the  one-sidedness  of 
the  covenant.  Isaac  needed  no  guarantee  from  them,  as  the  Lord  was 
with  him.  Abimelek  is  familiar  with  the  use  of  the  name  Jehovah. 
30,  31.  Isaac  hospitably  entertains  and  lodges  the  royal  party,  and  on 
the  morrow,  after  having  sworn  to  the  treaty,  parts  with  them  in  peace. 
32,  33.  On  the  same  day  Isaac's  servants  report  concerning  the  weU 
they  had  digged  (v.  25)  that  they  had  found  water.  This  well  he 
calls  Sheba,  an  oath,  and  hence  the  town  is  called  Beer-sheba,  the 
well  of  the  oath.  Now  the  writer  was  aware  that  this  place  had  re- 
ceived the  same  name  on  a  former  occasion  (xxi.  31).  But  a  second 
well  has  now  been  dug  in  like  circumstances  in  the  same  locality. 
This  gives  occasion  for  a  new  application  of  the  name  in  the  memories 
of  the  people.  This  is  another  illustration  of  the  principle  explained 
at  XXV.  30.  Two  wells  still  exist  at  this  place  to  attest  the  correctness 
of  the  record. 

84,  ob.  Esau  at  forty  years  of  age  forms  matrimonial  connections 
with  the  Hittites.  Pleth  was  the  second  son  of  Kenaan,  and  had  settled 
in  the  hills  about  Hebron.  Esau  had  got  acquainted  with  this  tribe  in 
his  hunting  expeditious.  From  their  names  we  learn  that  they  spoke 
the  same  language  with  himself.  They  belonged  to  a  family  far  gone 
in  transgression  and  apostasy  from  God.  The  two  wives  chosen  from 
such  a  stock  were  a  source  of  great  grief  to  the  parents  of  Esau.  The 
choice  manifested  his  tolerance  at  least  of  the  carnal,  and  his  indiffer- 
ence to  the  spiritual. 


LV.    ISAAC  BLESSING  HIS  SONS.  —  Gen.  xxvii. 

XXVII.  1.  And  it  came  to  pass  that  Isaac  was  old,  and 
his  eyes  were  dim  in  seeing ;  and  he  called  Esau  his  elder  son, 
and  said  unto  him,  My  son.  And  he  said  unto  him,  Here  am 
I.  2.  And  ho  said,  Behold  now,  I  am  old  ;  I  know  not  the 
day  of  my  death.  3.  And  now  take  now  thy  weapons,  thy 
48 


378  ISAAC  BLESSING  HIS  SONS. 

quiver  and  tliy  bow,  and  go  out  to  the  field  and  hunt  for  me 
venison.  4.  And  make  me  savory  meat,  such  as  I  love,  and 
bring  to  me,  and  let  me  cat,  that  my  soul  may  bless  thee  be- 
fore I  die. 

5.  And  Rebekah  was  listening  when  Isaac  spake  to  Esau  his 
son  :  and  Esau  went  to  the  field  to  hunt  for  venison  to  bring. 
6.  And  Rebekah  said  unto  Jacob  her  son,  saying,  Behold,  I 
heard  thy  father  speaking  to  Esau  thy  brother,  saying,  7.  Bring 
me  venison,  and  make  me  savory  meat,  and  let  me  eat ;  and 
I  shall  bless  thee  before  the  Lord  before  I  die.  8.  And  now, 
my  son,  hearken  to  my  voice,  according  to  that  which  I  com- 
mand thee.  9.  Go  now  to  the  flock,  and  fetch  me  thence  two 
good  kids  of  the  goats ;  and  I  will  make  them  savory  meat  for 
thy  father,  such  as  he  loveth,  10.  And  thou  shalt  bring  it  to 
thy  father,  and  he  shall  eat,  that  he  may  bless  thee  before  he 
die.  11.  And  Jacob  said  to  Rebekah  his  mother.  Behold, 
Esau  my  brother  is  a  hairy  man,  and  I  a  smooth  man.  12. 
Mayhap  my  father  will  feel  me,  and  I  shall  be  in  his  eyes  as  a 
deceiver  ;  and  I  shall  bring  upon  me  a  curse  and  not  a  bless- 
ing. 13.  And  his  mother  said  unto  him.  Upon  me  be  thy 
curse,  my  son  ;  only  hearken  to  my  voice,  and  go  fetch  me. 

14.  And  he  went  and  fetched  and  brought  to  his  mother ; 
and  his  mother  made  savory  meat,  such  as  his  father  loved. 
15.  And  Rebekah  took  goodly  garments  of  Esau  her  elder  son, 
which  were  with  her  in  the  house,  and  put  them  upon  Jacob 
her  younger  son.  16.  And  the  skins  of  the  kids  of  the  goats 
put  she  upon  his  hands,  and  upon  the  smooth  of  his  neck.  17. 
And  she  gave  the  savory  meat  and  the  bread  which  she  had 
made  into  the  hand  of  Jacob  her  son.  18.  And  he  went  unto 
his  father  and  said,  My  father.  And  he  said,  Here  am  I ; 
who  art  thou,  my  son  ?  19.  And  Jacob  said  unto  his  father, 
I  am  Esau,  thy  first-born  :  I  have  done  as  thou  spakest  to  me ; 
arise,  now,  sit  and  eat  of  my  venison,  that  thy  soul  may  bless 
mo.  20.  And  Isaac  said  unto  his  son.  How  is  this  tliou  hast 
hastened  to  find^,  my  son  ?    And  he  said,  Because  the  Lord  thy 


GEN.  xxvn.  379 

God  prospered  me.  21.  And  Isaac  said  unto  Jacob,  Come 
near  now,  and  let  me  feel  thee,  my  son,  whether  thou  be  my 
very  son  Esau  or  not.  22.  And  Jacob  went  near  unto  Isaac 
his  father,  and  he  felt  him  :  and  he  said.  The  voice  is  the 
voice  of  Jacob,  and  the  hands  are  the  hands  of  Esau.  23. 
And  he  discerned  him  not,  because  his  hands  were  hairy  as 
Esau  his  brother's  hands :  and  he  blessed  him.  24.  And  he 
said.  Art  thou  my  very  son  Esau  ?  And  he  said,  I  am.  25. 
And  he  said,  Bring  near  to  me  and  let  me  eat  of  my  son's 
venison,  that  my  soul  may  bless  thee  :  and  he  brought  near 
to  him,  and  he  ate  :  and  he  brought  him  wine,  and  he  drank. 
26.  And  Isaac  his  father  said  unto  him,  Come  near  now,  and 
kiss  me,  my  son.  27.  And  he  came  near,  and  kissed  him  ; 
and  he  smelled  the  smell  of  his  raiment,  and  blessed  him,  and 
said,  See,  the  smell  of  my  son  is  as  the  smell  of  a  field  which 
the  Lord  hath  blessed.  28.  And  the  God  give  thee  of  the  dew 
of  heaven,  aiid  of  the  fatness  of  the  earth,  and  plenty  of  corn 
and  wine.  29.  Let  peoples  serve  thee,  and  nations  bow  down 
to  thee  ;  be  lord  of  thy  brethren,  and  let  thy  mother's  sons  bow 
down  to  thee ;  he  that  curseth  thee  be  cursed,  and  he  that 
blcsseth  thee  be  blessed. 

30.  And  it  came  to  pass  when  Isaac  had  ended  the  blessing 
of  Jacob,  and  Jacob  was  in  the  act  of  coming  out  from  the 
presence  of  Isaac  his  father,  that  Esau  his  brother  was  come 
m  from  his  hunting.  31.  And  he  also  made  savory  meat,  and 
brought  to  his  father ;  and  he  said  unto  his  father.  Let  my 
father  arise  and  eat  of  his  son's  venison,  that  thy  soul  may 
bless  me.  32.  And  Isaac  his  father  said  unto  him,  Who  art 
thou  ?  And  he  said,  I  am  thy  son,  thy  first-born,  Esau.  33. 
And  Isaac  trembled  with  an  exceeding  great  trembling,  and 
said,  Who,  then,  is  he  that  hath  hunted  venison,  and  brought 
me,  and  I  ate  of  all  before  thou  camest,  and  blessed  him? 
Yea,  blessed  he  shall  be.  34.  When  Esau  heard  the  words 
of  his  fiither,  then  he  cried  with  an  exceeding  great  and  bitter 
cry  ;  and  he  said  unto  his  father,  Bless  mc,  me  also,  my  father. 


380  ISAAC  BLESSING  HIS  SOK 

35.  And  he  said,  Thy  brother  hath  come  with  deceit  and  taken 
thy  blessing.  36.  And  he  said,  Is  it  that  his  name  is  called 
Jacob,  and  he  supplanted  me  these  two  times  ?  my  birthright 
he  had  taken,  and,  behold,  now  he  hath  taken  my  blessing. 
And  he  said.  Hast  thou  not  in  reserve  for  me  a  blessing  ?  37. 
And  Isaac  answered  and  said  unto  Esau,  Behold,  thy  lord  I 
have  made  him,  and  all  his  brethren  have  I  given  him  for 
servants ;  and  with  corn  and  wine  have  I  sustained  him :  and 
to  thee  now  what  shall  I  do,  my  son  ?  38.  And  Esau  said 
unto  his  father,  Hast  thou  but  one  blessing,  my  father  ?  Bless 
me,  also  me,  my  father.  And  Esau  lifted  up  his  voice  and 
wept.  39.  And  Isaac  his  father  answered  and  said  unto  him, 
Behold,  away  from  the  fatness  of  the  earth  shall  be  thy  dwell- 
ing, and  from  the  dew  of  heaven  from  above.  40.  And  on  thy 
sword  shalt  thou  hve,  and  thy  brother  shalt  thou  serve  :  and 
it  shall  come  to  pass  when  thou  prevailest,  that  thou  shalt 
break  his  yoke  from  thy  neck.  41.  And  Esau  hated  Jacob 
because  of  the  blessing  wherewith  his  father  blessed  him :  and 
Esau  said  in  his  heart,  The  days  of  mourning  for  my  father 
draw  nigh,  and  I  will  slay  Jacob,  my  brother. 

42.  And  the  words  of  Esau,  her  elder  son,  were  told  to 
Rebekah:  and  she  sent  and  called  Jacob,  her  younger  son, 
and  said  unto  him,  Behold,  Esau  thy  brother  comforteth  him- 
self concerning  thee,  purposing  to  slay  thee.  43.  And  now, 
my  son,  hearken  to  my  voice :  and  arise,  flee  thou  to  Laban 
my  brother  to  Haran.  44.  And  tarry  with  him  a  few  days, 
until  thy  brother's  fury  turn  away ;  45.  Until  thy  brother's 
anger  turn  from  thee,  and  he  forget  that  which  thou  hast 
done  to  him :  then  will  I  send  and  fetcli  thee  hence  :  why 
should  I  be  bereaved  even  of  you  both  in  one  day  ?  46.  And 
Rebekah  said  to  Isaac,  I  am  weary  of  my  life  on  account  of 
the  daughters  of  Heth :  if  Jacob  take  a  wife  of  the  daughters 
of  Heth,  such  as  these  of  the  daughters  of  the  land,  what 
good  is  life  to  me  ? 


GEN.  XXVIL  381 

The  life  of  Isaac  falls  into  three  periods.  During  the  first  seventy- 
five  years  he  is  contemporary  with  his  father.  For  sixty-one  years 
more  his  son  Jacob  remains  under  the  paternal  roof.  The  remaining 
forty-four  yeai's  are  passed  in  the  retirement  of  old  age.  The  chapter 
before  us  narrates  the  last  solemn  acts  of  the  middle  period  of  his  life. 

1-4.  Isaac  was  old.  Joseph  wars  in  his  thirtieth  year  when  he  stood 
before  Pharaoh,  and  therefore  thirty-nine  when  Jacob  came  down  to 
Egypt  at  the  age  of  one  hundred  and  thirty.  "When  Joseph  was  bom, 
therefore,  Jacob  was  ninety-one,  and  he  had  sojourned  fourteen  years 
in  Padan-aram.  Hence  Jacob's  flight  to  Laban  took  place  when  he 
was  seventy-seven,  and  therefore  in  the  one  hundred  and  thirty-sixth 
year  of  Isaac.  His  eyes  were  dim.  Weakness  and  even  loss  of  sight 
is  more  frequent  in  Palestine  than  with  us.  His  elder  son.  Isaac 
had  not  yet  come  to  the  conclusion  that  Jacob  was  heir  of  the  promise. 
The  communication  from  the  Lord  to  Rebekah  concerning  her  yet 
unborn  sons  in  the  form  in  which  it  is  handed  down  to  us  merely  de- 
termines that  the  elder  shall  serve  the  younger.  This  fact  Isaac  seems 
to  have  thought  might  not  imply  the  transferrence  of  the  birthright ; 
and  if  he  was  aware  of  the  transaction  between  Esau  and  Jacob,  he 
may  not  have  regarded  it  as  valid.  PIcnce  he  makes  arrangements 
for  bestowing  the  paternal  benediction  on  Esau,  his  elder  son,  Avhom 
he  also  loves.  /  am  old.  At  the  age  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-six, 
and  with  failing  sight,  he  felt  that  life  was  uncertain.  3,  4.  In  the 
calmness  of  determination  he  directs  Esau  to  prepare  savory  meat, 
such  as  he  loved,  that  he  may  have  his  vigor  renewed  and  his  spirits 
revived  for  the  solemn  business  of  bestowing  that  blessing,  which  he 
held  to  be  fraught  with  more  than  ordinary  benefits. 

5-13.  Rebekah  forms  a  plan  for  diverting  the  blessing  from  Esau 
to  Jacob.  5-7.  She  was  within  hearing  when  the  infirm  Isaac  gave 
his  orders,  and  communicates  the  news  to  Jacob.  8-10.  Rebekah  has 
no  scruples  about  primogeniture.  Her  feelings  prompt  her  to  take 
measures,  without  waiting  to  consider  whether  they  are  justifiable  or 
not,  for  securing  to  Jacob  that  blessing  which  she  has  settled  in  her 
own  mind  to  be  destined  for  him.  She  thinks  it  necessary  to  interfere 
that  this  end  may  not  fail  of  being  accomplished.  11-13.  Jacob 
views  the  matter  more  coolly,  and  starts  a  difficulty.  He  may  be 
found  out  to  be  a  deceiver,  and  bring  his  father's  curse  upon  him. 
Rebekah,  anticipating  no  such  issue,  undertakes  to  bear  the  curse  that 
she  conceived  would  never  come.     Only  let  him  obey. 

14-29.  The  plan  is  successful.     14-17.  Jacob  now,  without  further 


382  ISAAC  BLESSING  HIS  SONS. 

objection,  obeys  his  mother.  She  clothes  him  in  Esau's  raiment,  and 
puts  the  skins  of  the  kids  on  his  hands  and  his  neck.  The  camel-goat 
affords  a  hair  which  bears  a  great  resemblance  to  that  of  natural 
growth,  and  is  used  as  a  substitute  for  it.  18-20.  Now  begins  the 
strange  interview  between  the  father  and  the  son.  Who  art  thou,  rmj 
son  ?  The  voice  of  Jacob  was  somewhat  constrained.  He  goes,  how- 
ever, deliberately  through  the  process  of  deceiving  his  father.  Arise, 
now,  sit  and  eat.  Isaac  was  reclining  on  his  couch,  in  the  feebleness 
of  advancing  years.  Sitting  was  the  posture  convenient  for  eating. 
The  Lord  thy  God  prospered  me.  This  is  the  bold  reply  to  Isaac's 
expression  of  surprise  at  the  haste  with  which  the  dainty  fare  had  been 
prepared.  21—23.  The  bewildered  father  now  puts  Jacob  to  a  severer 
test.  He  feels  him,  but  discerns  him  not.  The  ear  notes  a  difference, 
but  the  hand  feels  the  hairy  skin  resembling  Esau's  ;  the  eyes  give  no 
testimony.  After  this  the  result  is  summarily  stated  in  a  single  sen- 
tence, though  the  particulars  are  yet  to  be  given.  24,  25.  Art  thou 
my  very  son  Esau  ?  A  lurking  doubt  puts  the  definite  question,  and 
receives  a  decisive  answer.  Isaac  then  calls  for  the  repast  and  par- 
takes. 

20-29.  He  gives  the  kiss  of  paternal  affection,. and  pronounces  the 
benediction.  It  contains,  first,  a  fertile  soil.  Of  the  deio  of  heaven. 
An  abundant  measure  of  this  was  especially  precious  in  a  country 
where  the  rain  is  confined  to  two  seasons  of  tlie  j^ear.  Of  the  fatness 
of  the  earth  ;  a  proportion  of  this  to  match  and  render  available  the 
dew  of  heaven.  Corn  and  wine,  the  substantial  products,  implying  all 
the  rest.  Second,  a  numerous  and  powerful  offspring.  Let  peoples 
serve  thee,  —  preeminence  among  the  nations.  Be  lord  of  thy  brethren, 
—  preeminence  among  his  kindred.  Isaac  does  not  seem  to  have  grasped 
the  full  meaning  of  the  prediction,  "  The  elder  shall  serve  the  younger." 
Third,  Prosperity,  temporal  and  spiritual.  He  that  curseth  thee  be 
cursed,  and  he  that  blesseth  thee  be  blessed.  This  is  the  only  part  of 
the  blessing  that  directly  comprises  spiritual  things  ;  and  even  this  is 
of  a  peculiar  form.  It  is  to  be  recollected  that  it  was  Isaac's  intention 
to  bless  Esau,  and  he  may  have  felt  that  Esau,  after  all,  Avas  not  to  be 
the  progenitor  of  the  holy  seed.  Hence  the  form  of  expression  is 
vague  enough  to  apply  to  temporal  things,  and  yet  sufficiently  compre- 
hensive to  embrace  tlie  infliction  of  the  ban  of  sin,  and  the  diffusion  of 
the  blessing  of  salvation  by  means  of  the  holy  seed. 

30-41.  Esau's  blessing.  Esau  comes  in,  but  it  is  too  late.  31-03. 
Who  then  ?     The  whole  illusion  is  dispelled  from  the  mind  of  Isaac. 


GEN.  XXVII.  383 

Yea,  blessed  he  sliall  he.  Jacob  had  no  doubt  perpetrated  a  fraud,  at 
the  instigation  of  his  mother ;  and  if  Esau  had  been  worthy  in  other 
respects,  and  above  all  if  the  blessing  had  been  designed  for  him,  its 
bestowment  on  another  Avould  have  been  either  prevented  or  regarded 
as  null  and  void.  But  Isaac  now  felt  that,  whatever  was  the  miscon- 
duct of  Jacob  in  interfering,  and  especially  in  employing  unworthy 
means  to  accomplish  his  end,  he  himself  was  culpable  in  allowing 
carnal  considerations  to  draw  his  preference  to  Esau,  who  was  other- 
wise unworthy.  lie  knew  too  that  the  paternal  benediction  flowed 
not  from  the  bias  of  the  pai'ent,  but  from  the  Spirit  of  God  guiding  his 
will,  and  therefore  when  so  pronounced  could  not  be  revoked.  Hence 
he  was  now  convinced  that  it  was  the  design  of  Providence  that  the 
spiritual  blessing  should  fall  on  the  line  of  Jacob.  34-38,  The  grief 
of  Esau  is  distressing  to  witness,  especially  as  he  had  been  compara- 
tively blameless  in  this  particular  instance.  But  still  it  is  to  be  re- 
membered that  his  heart  had  not  been  open  to  the  paramount  impor- 
tance of  spiritual  things.  Isaac  now  perceives  that  Jacob  has  gained 
the  blessing  by  deceit.  Esau  marks  the  propriety  of  his  name,  the 
wrestler  who  trips  up  the  heel,  and  pleads  pathetically  for  at  least 
some  blessing.  His  father  enumerates  what  he  has  done  for  Jacob, 
and  asks  what  more  he  can  do  for  Esau  ;  who  then  exclaims,  Hast 
thou  but  one  blessing  ? 

39-41.  At  length,  in  reply  to  the  weeping  suppliant,  he  bestows 
upon  him  a  characteristic  blessing.  Away  from  the  fatness.  The 
preposition  (-ri)  is  the  same  as  in  the  blessing  of  Jacob.  But  there, 
after  a  verb  of  giving,  it  had  a  partitive  sense  ;  here,  after  a  noun  of 
place,  it  denotes  distance  or  separation ;  for  example,  Prov.  xx.  3. 
The  pastoral  life  has  been  distasteful  to  Esau,  and  so  it  shall  be  with 
his  race.  The  land  of  Edom  was  accordingly  a  comparative  wilderness 
(Mai.  i.  3).  On  thy  sword.  By  preying  upon  others.  Andthy  brother 
shalt  thou  serve.  Edom  was  long  independent;  but  at  length  Saul 
was  victorious  over  them  (1  Sam.  xiv.  47),  and  David  conquered 
them  (2  Sam.  viii.  14).  Then  followed  a  long  struggle,  until  John 
Ilyrcanus,  129  li.  c,  compelled  them  to  be  circumcised  and  incorpora- 
ted into  Judaism.  Break  his  yoke.  The  history  of  Edom  was  a  per- 
petual struggle  against  the  supremacy  of  Israel.  Conquered  by  Saul, 
subdued  by  David,  repressed  by  Solomon,  restrained  after  a  revolt  by 
Amaziah,  they  recovered  their  independence  in  the  time  of  Ahab. 
They  were  incorporated  into  the  Jewish  state,  and  furnished  it  with 
the  dynasty  of  princes  beginning  with  Antipater.     Esau  was   now 


384  JACOB'S  JOUENEY  TO  HARAN. 

exasperated  against  his  brother,  and  could  only  compose  his  mind  by 
resolving  to  slay  him  during  the  days  of  mourning  after  his  father's 
death. 

42-46.  Rebekah  hearing  this,  advises  Jacob  to  flee  to  Laban  her 
brother,  and  await  the  abatement  of  his  brother's  anger.  Tliat  which 
thou  hast  done  to  Mm.  Rebekah  seems  not  to  have  been  aware  that  she 
herself  was  the  cause  of  much  of  the  evil  and  of  the  misery  that  flowed 
from  it.  All  the  parties  to  this  transaction  are  pursued  by  a  retribu- 
tive chastisement.  Rebekah,  especially,  parts  with  her  favorite  son  to 
meet  him  only  after  an  absence  of  twenty  years,  if  ever  in  this  life. 
She  is  moreover  grievously  vexed  with  the  connection  which  Esau 
formed  with  the  daughters  of  Heth.  She  dreads  a  similar  matrimonial 
alliance  on  the  part  of  Jacob. 


LVI.    JACOB'S  JOURNEY  TO  HARAN.  —Gen.  xxviii. 

3.  ^n|5  congregation. 

9.  ribn^  Machalath,  sidcness,  or  a  harp. 

19.  lib  Luz,  almond. 


XXVIII.  1.  And  Isaac  called  Jacob,  and  blessed  him,  and 
commanded  him,  and  said  unto  him,  Thou  shalt  not  take  a 
wife  of  the  daughters  of  Kenaan.  2.  Arise,  go  to  Padan-aram, 
to  the  house  of  Bethuel,  thy  mother's  father,  and  take  thee 
thence  a  wife  of  the  daughters  of  Laban,  thy  mother's  brother. 
8.  And  God  Almighty  bless  thee,  and  make  thee  fruitful,  and 
multiply  thee,  that  thou  mayest  be  a  congregation  of  peoples. 
4.  And  give  thee  the  blessing  of  Abraham,  to  thee  and  to  thy 
seed  with  thee :  that  thou  mayest  possess  the  land  of  thy  so- 
journings,  which  God  gave  unto  Abraham.  5.  And  Isaac  seiit 
away  Jacob  ;  and  he  went  unto  Padan-aram,  to  Laban,  son  of 
Bethuel  the  Aramite,  brother  of  Rebekah,  mother  of  Jacob  and 
Esau. 

6.  And  Esau  saw  that  Isaac  had  blessed  Jacob,  and  sent  him 
to  Padan-aram  to  take  him  thence  a  wife ;  and  as  he  blessed 


GEN.  xx^aii.  385 

him,  he  commanded  him,  saying,  Thou  shalt  not  take  a  wife 
of  the  daughters  of  Kenaan.  7.  And  Jacob  hearkened  to  his 
father  and  his  mother,  and  went  to  Padan-aram.  8.  And 
Esau  saw  that  the  daughters  of  Kenaan  were  evil  in  the  eyes 
of  Isaac  his  father.  9.  And  Esau  went  unto  Ishmael,  and  took 
Mahalath,  daughter  of  Ishmael,  Abraham's  son,  sister  of  Ne- 
baioth,  unto  his  wives,  to  be  his  wife.  7  §§§  36. 

10.  And  Jacob  came  fortli  from  Beer-sheba,  and  went  to 
Haran.  11.  And  he  lighted  on  a  place,  and  lodged  there,  be- 
cause tiie  sun  was  set :  and  he  took  of  the  stones  of  tlie  place 
and  put  for  his  pillow ;  and  he  lay  down  in  that  place.  12. 
And  he  dreamed,  and,  behold,  a  ladder  set  up  on  the  earth, 
and  the  top  of  it  reaching  to  heaven  ;  and,  behold,  the  angels 
of  God  ascending  and  descending  on  it.  13.  And,  behold, 
the  Lord  stood  above  it,  and  said,  I  am  the  Lord,  God 
of  Abraham  thy  father,  and  God  of  Isaac  :  the  land  vv-liercon 
thou  liest,  to  thee  will  I  give  it,  and  to  thy  seed.  14.  And 
thy  seed  shall  be  as  the  dust  of  the  earth,  and  thou  shalt 
break  forth  to  the  west  and  to  the  east  and  to  the  north  and 
to  the  south ;  and  blessed  in  thee  shall  be  all  the  families  of 
the  earth,  and  in  thy  seed.  15.  And,  behold,  I  am  with  thee, 
and  will  keep  thee  in  all  the  way  that  thou  goest,  and  will 
bring  thee  back  into  this  soil ;  for  I  will  not  leave  thee  until  I 
have  done  that  which  I  have  spoken  to  thee.  16.  And  Jacob 
awoke  out  of  his  sleep,  and  said.  Surely  the  Lord  is  in  this 
place,  and  I  knew  it  not.  17.  And  he  was  afraid,  and  said, 
How  dreadful  is  this  place  !  This  is  none  other  but  the  house 
of  God,  and  this  is  the  gate  of  heaven.  18.  And  Jacob  rose 
up  early  in  the  morning,  and  took  the  stone  that  he  had  put 
for  his  pillow  and  set  it  up  for  a  pillar ;  and  he  poured  oil 
upon  the  top  of  it.  19.  And  he  called  the  name  of  that  place 
Bethel :  but  Luz  was  the  name  of  the  city  at  the  first.  20. 
And  Jacob  vowed  a  vow,  saying,  If  God  will  be  with  me,  and 
keep  me  in  the  way  that  I  go,  and  give  me  bread  to  eat  and 
raiment  to  put  on,  21.  And  I  return  in  peace  to  my  father's- 
49 


386  JACOS'S  JOURNEY  TO  HARAN. 

house,  tlien  shall  the  Lord  be  my  God :  22.  And  this  stone, 
which  I  have  set  up  for  a  pillar,  shall  be  God's  house ;  and  of 
all  that  thou  shalt  give  me,  a  tenth  will  I  surely  give  unto 
thee. 


The  blessing  of  his  sons  was  the  last  passage  in  the  active  life  of 
Isaac,  after  Avhich  he  retires  from  the  scene.  Jacob  now  becomes  the 
leading  figure  in  the  sacred  history.  His  spiritual  character  has  not 
yet  come  out  to  view.  But  even  now  we  can  discern  the  general 
distinction  in  the  lives  of  the  three  patriarchs.  Abraham's  is  a  life  of 
authority  and  decision  ;  Isaac's,  of  submission  and  acquiescence ;  and 
Jacob's,  of  trial  and  struggle. 

1-5.  Isaac  has  now  become  alive  to  the  real  destiny  of  Jacob.  lie 
therefore  calls  for  him  to  bless  him,  and  give  him  a  command.  The 
command  is  to  take  a  wife,  not  from  Kenaan,  but  from  the  kindred  of 
bis  parents.  The  blessing  comes  from  God  Almighty  (xvii.  1).  It  is 
that  belonging  to  the  chosen  seed,  the  blessing  of  Abraham.  It  em- 
braces a  numerous  offspring,  the  land  of  promise,  and  all  else  that  is 
included  in  the  blessing  of  Abraham.  A  congregation  of  peoples. 
This  is  the  word  congregation  (^t^I^  Qahal)  which  is  afterwards  ap- 
plied to  the  assembled  people  of  God,  and  to  which  the  Greek  iKKXTjata, 
ecclesia,  answers.  Jacob  complies  with  his  mother's  advice  and  his 
father's  command,  and,  at  the  same  time,  reaps  the  bitter  fruit  of  his 
fraud  against  his  brother  in  the  hardship  and  treachery  of  an  exile  of 
twenty  years.  The  aged  Isaac  is  not  without  his  shai-e  in  the  un- 
pleasant consequences  of  endeavoring  to  go  against  the  will  of  God. 

6-9.  Esau  is  induced,  by  the  charge  of  his  parents  to  Jacob,  the 
compliance  of  the  latter  with  their  wishes,  and  by  their  obvious  dislike 
to  the  daughters  of  Kenaan,  to  take  Mahalath,  a  daughter  of  Ishmael,  in 
addition  to  his  former  wives.  Went  unto  Ishmael;  that  is,  to  the  fam- 
ily or  tribe  of  Ishmael,  as  Ishmael  himself  was  now  thirteen  years 
dead.  Esau's  hunting  and  roving  career  had  brought  him  into  contact 
with  this  family,  and  we  shall  presently  find  him  settled  in  a  neighbor- 
ing territory. 

10-22.  Jacob's  dream  and  vow.  Setting  out  on  the  way  to  Ilaran, 
he  was  overtaken  by  night,  and  slept  in  the  field.  He  was  far  from 
any  dwelling,  or  he  did  not  wish  to  enter  the  house  of  a  stranger.  12— 
15.  He  dreams.  A  ladder  or  stair  is  seen  reaching  from  earth  to 
heaven,  on  which  angels  ascend  and  descend.     This  is  a  medium  of 


GEN.  XXVIII.  387 

cominunication  between  heaven  and  earth,  by  which  messengers  pass 
to  and  fro  on  errands  of  mercy.  Heaven  and  earth  have  been  sepa- 
rated by  sin.  But  this  ladder  has  re-established  the  intercourse.  It  is 
therefore  a  beautiful  emblem  of  that  which  mediates  and  reconciles 
(John  i.  51).  It  here  serves  to  bring  Jacob  into  communication  with 
God,  and  teaches  him  the  emphatic  lesson  that  he  is  accepted  through 
a  mediator.  The  Lord  stood  above  it,  and  Jacob,  the  object  of  his 
mercy,  beneath.  1st.  He  reveals  himself  to  the  sleeper  as  the  Lord 
(ii.  4),  the  God  of  Abraham  thy  father,  and  of  Isaac.  It  is  remarka- 
ble that  Abraham  is  styled  his  father,  that  is,  his  actual  grandfather, 
and  covenant  father.  2d.  He  renews  the  promise  of  the  land,  of  the 
seed,  and  of  the  blessing  in  that  seed  for  the  whole  race  of  man. 
Westward,  eastward,  northward,  and  southward  are  they  to  break  forth. 
This  expression  points  to  the  world-wide  universality  of  the  kingdom 
of  the  seed  of  Abraham,  when  it  shall  become  the  fifth  monarchy,  that 
shall  subdue  all  that  went  before,  and  endure  forever.  This  tran- 
scends the  destiny  of  the  natural  seed  of  Abraham.  3d.  He  then 
promises  to  Jacob  personally  to  be  with  him,  protect  him,  and  bring 
him  back  in  safety.  This  is  the  third  announcement  of  the  seed  that 
blesses  to  the  third  in  the  line  of  descent  (xii.  2,  3,  xxii.  18,  xxvi.  4). 
IG— 19.  Jacob  awakes,  and  exclaims.  Surely  the  Lord  is  in  this  place, 
and  I  knew  it  not.  He  knew  his  omnipresence ;  but  he  did  not 
expect  a  special  manifestation  of  the  Lord  in  this  place,  for  from  the 
sanctuaries  of  his  father.  He  is  filled  with  solemn  awe,  when  he  finds 
himself  in  the  house  of  God  and  at  the  gate  of  heaven.  18,  19.  The 
pillar  is  the  monument  of  the  event.  The  pouring  of  oil  upon  it  is  an 
act  of  consecration  to  God  who  has  there  appeared  to  him  (Xum.  vii. 
1).  He  calls  the  name  of  the  place  Bethel,  the  house  of  God.  This 
is  not  the  first  time  it  received  the  name.  Abraham  also  worshipped 
God  here,  and  met  with  the  name  already  existing  (see  on  xii.  8,  xiii. 
3,  xxv.  30. 

20-22.  Jacob's  vow.  A  vow  is  a  solemn  engagement  to  perform  a 
certain  duty,  the  obligation  of  which  is  felt- at  the  time  to  be  specially 
binding.  It  partakes,  therefore,  of  the  nature  of  a  promise  or  a  cove- 
nant. It  involves  in  its  obligation,  however,  only  one  party,  and  is 
the  spontaneous  act  of  that  party.  Here,  then,  Jacob  appears  to  take  a 
step  in  advance  of  his  predecessors.  Hitherto  God  had  taken  the  ini- 
tiative in  every  promise,  and  the  everlasting  covenant  rests  solely  on 
his  eternal  purpose.  Abraham  had  responded  to  the  call  of  God,  be- 
lieved in  the  Lord,  walked  before  him,  entered  into  communion  with 


388  JACOB'S  MARRIAGE. 

liim,  made  intercession  with  him,  and  given  up  his  only  son  to  him 
at  his  demand.  In  all  this  there  is  an  acceptance  on  the  part  of  the 
creature  of  the  supremacy  of  the  merciful  Creator.  But  now  the  spirit 
of  adoption  prompts  Jacob  to  a  spontaneous  movement  towards  God. 
This  is  no  ordinary  vow,  referring  to  some  special  or  occasional  resolve. 
It  is  the  grand  and  solemn  expression  of  the  soul's  free,  full,  and  per- 
petual acceptance  of  the  Lord  to  be  its  own  God.  This  is  the  most 
frank  and  open  utterance  of  new-born  spiritual  liberty  from  the  heart 
of  man  that  has  yet  appeared  in  the  divine  record.  If  God  will  he 
with  me.  This  is  not  the  condition  on  which  Jacob  will  accept  God  in 
a  mercenary  spirit.  It  is  merely  the  echo  and  the  thankful  acknowl- 
edgment of  the  divine  assurance,  "  I  am  with  thee,"  which  was  given 
immediately  before.  It  is  the  response  of  the  son  to  the  assurance  of 
the  father :  "  Wilt  thou  indeed  be  with  me  ?  Thou  shalt  be  my  God." 
This  stone  shall  be  God's  house,  a  monument  of  the  presence  of  God 
among  his  people,  and  a  symbol  of  the  indwelling  of  his  Spirit  in 
their  hearts.  As  it  comes  in  here  it  signalizes  the  grateful  and  lov- 
ing welcome  and  entertainment  which  God  receives  from  his  saints. 
A  tenth  will  I  surely  give  unto  thee.  The  honored  guest  is  treated  as 
one  of  the  family.  Ten  is  the  whole :  a  tenth  is  a  share  of  the  whole. 
The  Lord  of  all  receives  one  share  as  an  acknowledgment  of  his  sov- 
ereign right  to  all.  Here  it  is  represented  as  the  full  share  given  to 
the  king  who  condescends  to  dwell  with  his  subjects.  Thus  Jacob 
opens  his  heart,  his  home,  and  his  treasure  to  God.  These  are  the 
simple  elements  of  a  theocracy,  a  national  establishment  of  the  true 
religion.  The  spirit  of  power,  and  of  love,  and  of  a  sound  mind,  has 
begun  to  reign  in  Jacob.  As  the  Father  is  prominently  manifested  in 
regenerate  Abraham,  and  the  Son  in  Isaac,  so  also  the  Spirit  in  Jacob. 


LVir.    JACOB'S  MARRIAGE.  — Gen.  xxix. 

G.  Vn'n  Rachel,  a  ewe. 

16.  HN^  Leah,  wearied. 

24.  fiSbt  Zilpah,  drop  ? 

29.  nin'ba  BiUuih,  timidity. 

32.  I^^^'i  Reuben,  behold  a  son.  A  paronomasia  in  allusion  to  the 
phrase  "^"^.il^^  fiij'n.  Derivatives  and  compounds,  being  formed  by  the 
common  speaker,  arc  sometimes  founded  upon  resemblance  in  sound, 


GEN.  XXIX.  389 

and  not  always  on  precise  forms  of  the  original  sentence  whicli  prompted 
them. 

33.  )rj-c'5  Shim'on,  hearing,  answer. 

3-1.  ^"h  'Le\\,  junction,  union. 

35.  nn W^  Jehudah,  praised. 


XXIX.  1.  And  Jacob  lifted  up  his  feet,  and  went  to  the 
land  of  the  sons  of  the  east.  2.  And  he  saw,  and  behold,  a 
well  in  the  field,  and  behold  there  three  flocks  of  sheep  lying 
by  it ;  for  out  of  that  well  they  watered  the  flocks :  and  the 
stone  was  great  upon  the  well's  mouth.  3.  And  thither  are 
all  the  flocks  gathered,  and  they  roll  the  stone  from  the  well's 
mouth,  and  water  the  sheep,  and  put  the  stone  again  upon  the 
well's  mouth  in  its  place.  4.  And  Jacob  said  unto  them,  My 
brethren,  whence  are  ye  ?  And  he  said.  Of  Haran  are  we. 
5.  And  he  said  unto  them.  Know  ye  Labau,  son  of  Nahor  ? 
And  they  said,  We  know  him.  6.  And  he  said  unto  them, 
Is  he  well  ?  And  they  said.  Well ;  and  behold  Rachel  his 
daughter  coming  with  the  sheep.  7.  And  he  said,  Lo,  yet  the 
day  is  great ;  it  is  not  time  for  the  cattle  to  be  gathered  :  water 
ye  the  sheep,  and  go  feed  them.  8.  And  they  said.  We  can- 
not, until  ail  the  flocks  are  gathered,  and  they  roll  the  stone 
from  the  well's  mouth,  and  we  water  the  sheep. 

9.  He  was  yet  speaking  with  them,  and  Rachel  came  with 
her  father's  sheep  ;  for  she  kept  them.  10.  And  it  came  to 
pass  when  Jacob  saw  Rachel,  daughter  of  Laban  his  mother's 
brother,  and  the  sheep  of  Laban  his  mother's  brother,  that 
Jacob  drew  near,  and  rolled  the  stone  from  the  well's  mouth, 
and  watered  the  sheep  of  Laban  his  mother's  brother.  11. 
And  Jacob  kissed  Rachel,  and  lifted  up  his  voice  and  wept. 
12.  And  Jacob  told  Rachel  that  he  was  her  father's  brother, 
and  that  he  was  Rebekah's  son  :  and  she  ran  and  told  her  fa- 
ther. 13.  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Laban  heard  the  tidings 
of  Jacob  his  sister's  son,  that  he  ran  to  meet  him,  and  em- 
braced him,  and  kissed  him,  and  brought  him  to  his  house : 


390  JACOB'S  MARRIAGE. 

and  he  told  Laban  all  these  things.  14.  And  Laban  said  to 
him,  Surely  my  bone  and  my  flesh  art  thou.  And  he  abode 
with  him  a  month  of  days. 

15.  And  Laban  said  unto  Jacob,  Because  thou  art  my  bro- 
ther, shouldst  thou  serve  me  for  naught  ?  Tell  me  what  shall 
thy  wages  be  ?  16.  And  Laban  had  two  daughters :  the  name 
of  the  elder  Leah,  and  the  name  of  the  younger  Rachel.  17. 
And  Leah's  eyes  were  tender :  and  Rachel  was  beautiful  in 
form  and  in  look.  18.  And  Jacob  loved  Rachel :  and  he  said, 
I  will  serve  thee  seven  years  for  Rachel  thy  younger  daughter. 
19.  And  Laban  said,  It  is  better  that  I  give  her  to  thee  than 
that  I  give  her  to  another  man  :  abide  with  me.  20.  And 
Jacob  served  for  Rachel  seven  years  ;  and  they  were  in  his 
eyes  like  a  few  days,  for  the  love  he  had  to  her. 

21.  And  Jacob  said  unto  Laban,  Give  my  wife,  for  my  days 
are  fulfilled,  that  I  may  go  in  unto  her.  22.  And  Laban 
gathered  all  the  men  of  the  place,  and  made  a  feast.  23.  And 
it  came  to  pass  in  the  evening,  that  he  took  Leah  his  danghter, 
and  brought  her  to  him  ;  and  he  went  in  unto  her.  24.  And 
Laban  gave  her  Zilpah  his  maid,  for  a  handmaid  to  Leah  hi? 
daughter.  25.  And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  morning,  that  be- 
hold it  was  Leah  :  and  he  said  to  Laban,  What  is  this  that 
thou  hast  done  unto  me  ?  Have  I  not  served  with  thee  for 
Rachel  ?  And  why  hast  thou  beguiled  me  ?  26.  And  Laban 
said.  It  must  not  be  so  done  in  our  country,  to  give  the 
younger  before  the  firstborn.  27.  Fulfil  the  week  of  this,  and 
we  will  give  thee  this  also,  for  the  service  which  thou  shalt 
serve  with  me  yet  other  seven  years.  28.  And  Jacob  did  so, 
and  fulfilled  her  week  ;  and  he  gave  him  Rachel  his  daughter 
to  be  his  wife.  29.  And  Laban  gave  to  Rachel  his  daughter 
Bilhah  his  maid,  to  be  her  handmaid.  30.  And  he  went  in 
also  unto  Rachel,  and  loved  also  Rachel  more  than  Leah :  and 
lie  served  with  him  yet  other  seven  years. 

31.  And  the  Loud  saw  that  Leah  was  hated,  and  he  opened 
her  womb;  and  Rachel  was  barren.     32.  And  Leah  conceived, 


GEN.  XXIX.  391 

and  bare  a  son,  and  called  his  name  Reuben  :  for  she  said, 
For  the  Lord  hath  looked  on  my  affliction  ;  for  now  will  my 
husband  love  me.  33.  And  she  conceived  again,  and  bare  a 
son,  and  said.  For  the  Lord  hath  heard  that  I  was  hated,  and 
gave  me  also  this.  And  she  called  his  name  Simon.  34.  And 
she  conceived  again,  and  bare  a  son,  and  said,  Now  this  time 
will  my  husband  be  joined  unto  me  :  for  I  have  him  three  sons. 
Therefore  was  his  name  called  Levi.  35.  And  she  conceived 
again,  and  bare  a  son,  and  said.  This  time  will  I  praise  the 
Lord.  Therefore  she  called  his  name  Judah,  and  she  stayed 
from  bearing. 

In  this  chapter  and  the  following  Jacob  grows  from  a  sohtary  fugi- 
tive with  a  staff  in  his  hand  (xxxii.  10)  to  be  the  father  of  a  large 
family  and  the  owner  of  great  wealth.     He  proves  himself  to  be  a  man  ' 
of  patience  and  perseverance,  and  the  Lord  according  to  promise  is 
with  him. 

1-8.  Jacob  arrives  at  the  well  of  Haran.  The  land  of  the  sons  of 
the  east.  The  points  of  the  heavens  were  defined  by  the  usage  of 
practical  life,  and  not  by  the  standard  of  a  science  yet  unknown. 
Hence  the  east  means  any  quarter  toward  the  sunrising.  Haran  was 
about  four  degrees  east  of  Beer-sheba,  and  five  and  a  half  degrees  north. 
The  distance  was  about  four  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  and  thei-efore  it 
would  take  Jacob  fifteen  days  to  perform  the  journey  at  thirty  miles  a 
day.  If  he  reached  Bethel  the  first  night,  he  must  have  travelled  about 
fifty  miles  the  first  day.  After  this  he  proceeds  on  his  journey  without 
any  memorable  incident.  2,  3.  In  the  neighborhood  of  Haran  he 
comes  upon  a  well,  by  which  lay  three  flocks.  This  is  not  the  weU 
near  Haran  where  Abraham's  servant  met  Rebekah.  It  is  in  the  pas- 
ture grounds  at  some  distance  from  the  town.  On  its  mouth  was  a 
large  stone,  indicating  that  water  was  precious,  and  that  the  well  was 
the  common  property  of  the  surrounding  natives.  The  custom  was  to 
gather  the  flocks,  roll  away  the  stone,  which  was  too  great  to  be  moved 
by  a  boy  or  a  female,  water  the  flocks,  and  replace  the  stone.  4-6. 
Jacob,  on  making  inquiry,  learns  that  Haran  is  at  hand,  that  Laban  is 
well,  and  that  Rachel  is  drawing  nigh  with  her  father's  flocks.  Laban  is 
called  by  Jacob  the  son  of  Nahor,  that  is,  his  grandson,  with  the  usual 
latitude  of  relative  names  in  Scripture  (xxviii.  13).  7,8.  The  day  is 
great.     A  great  part  of  it  yet  remains.     It  is  not  yet  the  time  to  shut 


392  JACOB'S  JIAEEIAGE. 

up  the  cattle  for  the  night ;  "  water  the  sheep  and  go  feed  them." 
Jacob  may  have  wished  to  meet  with  Rachel  without  presence  of  the 
shepherds.  We  cannot.  There  was  a  rule  or  custom  that  the  flocks 
must  be  all  assembled  before  the  stone  was  rolled  away  for  the  pur- 
pose of  watering  the  cattle.  This  may  have  been  required  to  insure  a 
fair  distribution  of  the  water  to  all  parties,  and  especially  to  those  who 
were  too  weak  to  roll  away  the  stone. 

9-14.  Jacob's  interview  with  Rachel,  and  hospitable  reception  by 
Laban.  Rachel's  approach  awakens  all  Jacob's  warmth  of  feeling. 
He  rolls  away  the  stone,  waters  the  sheep,  kisses  Rachel,  and  bursts 
into  tears.  The  remembi'ance  of  home  and  of  the  relationship  of  his 
mother  to  Rachel  overpowers  him.  12-14.  He  informs  Rachel  who 
he  is,  and  she  runs  to  acquaint  her  father.  Laban  haptens  to  welcome 
his  relative  to  his  house.  Surely  my  bone  and  my  Jlesh  art  thou.  This 
is  a  description  of  kinsmanship  probably  derived  from  the  formation  of 
the  woman  out  of  the  man  (ii.  23).  A  month  here  means  the  period 
from  new  moon  to  new  moon,  and  consists  of  twenty-nine  or  thirty  days. 

15.  Jacob  serves  seven  years  for  Rachel.  What  shall  thy  xvages  he? 
An  active,  industrious  man  like  Jacob  was  of  great  value  to  Laban. 
16.  Two  daughters.  Daughters  in  those  countries  and  times  were  also 
objects  of  value,  for  which  their  parents  were  wont  to  receive  consid- 
erable presents  (xxiv.  53).  Jacob  at  present,  however,  is  merely 
worth  his  labor.  He  has  apparently  nothing  else  to  offei'.  18-20. 
As  he  loves  Rachel,  he  offers  to  serve  seven  years  for  her,  and  is  ac- 
cepted. Isaac  loved  Rebekah  after  she  was  sought  and  won  as  a  bride 
for  him.  Jacob  loves  Rachel  before  he  makes  a  proposal  of  marriage. 
His  attachment  is  pure  and  constant,  and  hence  the  years  of  his  service 
seem  but  days  to  him.  The  pleasure  of  her  society  both  in  the  business 
and  leisure  of  life  makes  the  hours  pass  unnoticed.  It  is  obvious  that 
in  those  early  days  the  intercourse  of  the  sexes  before  marriage  was 
more  unrestrained  than  it  afterwards  became. 

21-30.  Jacob  is  betrayed  into  marrying  Leah,  and  on  consenting  to 
serve  other  seven  years  obtains  Rachel  also.  He  claims  his  expected 
reward  when  due.  22-24.  Made  a  feast.  The  feast  in  the  house 
of  the  bride's  father  seems  to  have  lasted  seven  days,  at  the  close  of 
which  the  marriage  was  completed.  But  the  custom  seems  to  have 
varied  according  to  the  circumstances  of  the  bridegroom.  Jacob  had  no 
house  of  his  own  to  which  to  conduct  the  bride.  In  the  evening :  when 
it  was  dark.  The  bride  was  also  closely  veiled,  so  that  it  was  easy  for 
Laban  to  practise  this  piece  of  deceit.   A  handmaid.   It  was  customary 


GEN.  XXIX.  393 

to  give  tlie  bride  a  handmaid,  who  became  her  confidential  servant 
(xxiv.  59,  61).  25-27.  In  the  morning  Jacob  discovers  that  Laban 
had  overreached  him.  This  is  the  first  retribution  Jacob  experiences 
for  the  deceitful  practices  of  his  former  days.  He  expostulates  with 
Laban,  wlio  pleads  the  custom  of  the  country.  It  is  still  the  custom 
not  to  give  the  younger  in  marriage  before  the  older,  unless  the  latter 
be  deformed  or  in  some  way  defective.  It  is  also  not  unusual  to  prac- 
tise the  very  same  trick  that  Laban  now  employed,  if  the  suitor  is  eg 
simple  as  to  be  off  his  guard.  Jacob,  however,  did  not  expect  this  at 
his  relative's  hands,  though  he  had  himself  taken  pax't  in  proceedings 
equally  questionable.  Fulfil  the  week  of  this.  If  this  was  the  second 
day  of  the  feast  celebrating  the  nuptials  of  Leah,  Laban  requests  him 
to  complete  the  week,  and  then  he  will  give  him  Rachel  also.  If,  how- 
ever, Leah  was  fraudulently  put  upon  him  at  the  close  of  the  week  of 
feasting,  then  Laban  in  these  words  proposes  to  give  Rachel  to  Jacob 
on  fulfilling  another  week  of  nuptial  rejoicing.  The  latter  is  in  the 
present  instance  more  likely.  In  either  case  the  marriage  of  Rachel 
is  only  a  week  after  that  of  Leah.  28-30.  Rather  than  lose  Rachel 
altogether,  Jacob  consents  to  comply  with  Laban's  terms.  Rachel  was 
the  wife  of  Jacob's  affections  and  intentions.  The  taking  of  a  second 
wife  in  the  lifetime  of  the  first  was  contrary  to  the  law  of  nature,  which 
designed  one  man  for  one  woman  (ii.  21-25).  But  the  marrying  of  a 
sister-in-law  was  not  yet  incestuous,  because  no  law  had  yet  been  made 
on  the  subject.  Laban  gives  a  handmaid  to  each  of  his  daughters.  To 
Rebekah  his  sister  had  been  given  more  than  one  (sxiv.  61).  Bond- 
slaves had  been  in  existence  long  before  Laban's  time  (xvi.  1).  And 
loved  also  Rachel  more  than  Leah.  This  proves  that  even  Leah  was 
not  unloved.  At  the  time  of  his  marriage  Jacob  was  eighty-four  years 
of  age ;  which  corresponds  to  half  that  age  according  to  the  present 
average  of  human  life. 

31-35.  Leah  bears  four  sons  to  Jacob.  The  Lord  saw.  The  eye 
of  the  Lord  is  upon  the  sufferer.  It  is  remarkable  that  both  the  nar- 
rator and  Leah  employ  the  proper  name  of  God,  which  makes  the 
performance  of  promise  a  prominent  feature  of  his  character.  This  is 
appropriate  in  the  mouth  of  Leah,  who  is  the  mother  of  the  promised 
seed.  That  Leah  was  hated,  —  less  loved  than  Rachel.  He  therefore 
recompenses  her  for  the  want  of  her  husband's  affections  by  giving  her 
children,  while  Rachel  was  barren.  Reuben,  —  behold  a  son.  TJie  Lord 
hath  looked  on  my  affliction.  Leah  had  qualities  of  heart,  if  not  of 
outward  appearance,  which  commanded  esteem.  She  had  learned  to 
50 


394  JACOB'S  FAMILY  AND  WEALTH. 

acknowledge  the  Lord  in  all  her  ways.  Simon,  —  answer.  She  had 
prayed  to  the  Lord,  and  this  was  her  answer.  Levi,  —  union,  the  recon- 
ciler. Her  husband  could  not,  according  to  the  prevaihng  sentiments 
of  those  days,  fail  to  be  attached  to  the  mother  of  three  sons.  Jadah, 
—  praised.  "Well  may  she  praise  the  Lord  ;  for  this  is  the  ancestor  of 
the  promised  seed.  It  is  remarkable  that  the  wife  of  priority,  but  not 
of  preference,  is  the  mother  of  tlie  seed  in  whom  all  nations  are  to  be 
blessed.  Levi  the  reconciler  is  the  father  of  the  priestly  tribe.  Simon 
is  attached  to  Judah.     -Reuben  retires  into  the  background. 

Reuben  may  have  been  born  when  Jacob  was  still  only  eighty-four, 
and  consequently  Judah  when  he  was  eighty-seven. 


LVIIL    JACOB'S  FAMILY  AND  WEALTH.  —  Gen.  xxx. 

6.  'j'l  Dim,  judge,  lord. 
8.  ibn3b  Naphtall,  wrestling. 
11.  'TJ.  Gad,  overcoming,  victory.     "153  in  victory  or  =  ^a  X3   victory 
comcth.     I'iJ  press  down.     'lillJ,  troop. 

13.  "iTTN  Asher,  prosperity,  happiness. 

18.  iDw'JS"]  Jissakar,  reward.  The  second  O  seems  to  have  been 
merely  a  full  mode  of  writing  the  word,  instead  of  the  abbreviated  form 

20.  "i^bnT  Zebulun,  dwelling.  There  is  here  a  play  upon  the  two 
words  "IDT  to  endow  and  b3T  to  dwell,  the  latter  of  which,  however,  pre- 
vails in  the  name.     They  occur  only  here  as  verbs. 

21.  nsi'n  Dinah,  judgment. 

14.  rjD^  Joseph,  he  shall  add.  There  is,  however,  an  obvious  allusion 
to  the  thought.  "  God  hath  taken  away  (Cipx)  ray  reproach."  Double 
references,  we  find,  are  usual  in  the  giving  of  names  (see  xxv.  30). 


XXX.  1.  And  Raclicl  saw  that  she  bare  not  to  Jacob,  and 
Rachel  envied  her  sister  ;  and  said  unto  Jacob,  Give  me  chil- 
dren, or  else  I  do.  2.  And  Jacob's  anger  was  kindled  against 
Rachel  ;  and  he  said,  Am  I  instead  of  God.  Wlio  hath  withheld 
from  thee  tlic  fruit  of  tlie  womb  ?  3.  And  she  said,  Behold, 
1"^"  •  and  she  shall  bear  upon  my 


GEX.  XXX.  395 

knees,  and  I  also  shall  be  built  up  from  lier.  4.  And  she  gave 
him  Bilhah  her  maid  to  wife,  and  Jacob  went  in  unto  her.  5. 
And  Bilhah  conceived  and  bare  Jacob  a  son.  6.  And  Rachel 
said,  God  hath  judged  me,  and  also  heard  my  voice,  and  given 
me  a  son.  Therefore  called  she  his  name  Dan.  7.  And  Bil- 
hah, Rachel's  maid,  conceived  again,  and  bare  a  second  son  to 
Jacob.  8.  And  Rachel  said.  Wrestlings  of  God  have  I  wres- 
tled with  my  sister,  and  have  prevailed.  And  she  called  his 
name  Naphtali. 

9.  And  Leah  saw  that  she  had  stayed  from  bearing  :  and  she 
took  Zilpah  her  maid,  and  gave  her  to  Jacob  to  wife.  10. 
And  Zilpah,  Leah's  maid,  bare  Jacob  a  son.  11.  And  Leah 
said,  Yictory  cometh.  And  she  called  his  name  Gad.  12. 
And  Zilpah,  Leah's  maid,  bare  a  second  son  to  Jacob.  13. 
And  Leah  said,  Happy  am  I  ;  for  the  daughters  will  call  me 
happy.     And  she  called  his  name  Asher. 

14.  And  Reuben  went  in  the  days  of  wheat  harvest,  and 
found  mandrakes  in  the  field,  and  brought  them  unto  Leah 
his  mother.  And  Rachel  said  to  Leah,  Give  me  now  of  thy 
son's  mandrakes.  15.  And  she  said  unto  her.  Is  it  a  small 
matter  to  take  my  husband,  and  wouldest  thou  take  also  my 
sou's  mandrakes  ?  And  Rachel  said.  Therefore  ho  shall  lie 
with  thee  to-night  for  thy  son's  mandrakes.  IG.  And  Jacob 
came  out  of  the  field  in  the  evening,  and  Leah  came  out  to 
meet  him,  and  said.  Thou  art  to  come  in  unto  me  ;  for  surely 
I  have  hired  thee  with  my  son's  mandrakes.  And  he  lay  with 
her  that  night.  17.  And  God  hearkened  unto  Leah,  and  she 
conceived,  and  bare  Jacob  a  fifth  son.  18.  And  Leah  said, 
God  hath  given  my  hire,  because  I  gave  my  maiden  to  my 
husband.  And  she  called  his  name  Issakar.  19.  And  Leah 
conceived  again,  and  bare  a  sixth  son  to  Jacob.  20.  And 
Leah  said,  God  hath  endowed  me  with  a  good  dowry  :  tliis 
time  will  my  husband  dwell  with  me,  for  I  have  borne  him  six 
sons.  And  she  called  his  name  Zebulun.  21.  And  after- 
wards she  bare  a  daughter,  and  called  her  name  Dinah. 


396  JACOB'S  FAMILY  AND  WEALTH. 

22.  And  God  remembered  Rachel :  and  God  hearkened  to 
her,  and  opened  her  \Yomb.  23.  And  she  conceived  and  bare 
a  son  :  and  she  said,  God  hath  taken  away  my  reproach.  24. 
And  she  called  his  name  Joseph,  saying,  the  Lord  shall  add  to 
me  another  son. 

25.  And  it  came  to  pass  when  Rachel  had  borne  Joseph, 
that  Jacob  said  unto  Laban,  Send  me  away,  and  let  me  go  to 
my  place  and  to  my  laud.  2G.  Give  my  wives  and  my  chil- 
dren for  whom  I  have  served  thee,  and  let  me  go  :  for  thou 
knowest  my  service  which  I  have  done  thee.  27.  And  Laban 
said  unto  him.  Let  me  now  find  favor  in  thine  eyes  :  I  have 
divined,  and  the  Lord  blessed  me  for  thy  sake.  28.  And  he  said, 
Appoint  thy  hire  iipon  me,  and  I  will  give  it.  29.  And  he 
said  unto  him.  Thou  knowest  how  I  have  served  thee,  and  how 
thy  cattle  was  with  me.  30.  For  it  was  little  wliich  thou  hadst 
before  I  came,  and  it  brake  forth  into  abundance,  and  the 
Lord  blessed  thee  at  my  foot :  and  now,  when  shall  I  do  for 
my  own  house  ?  31.  And  he  said,  What  shall  I  give  thee  ? 
And  Jacob  said,  Thou  shalt  not  give  me  anything :  if  thou 
wilt  do  for  mo  tliis  thing,  I  will  again  feed  and  keep  thy  flock. 
32.  I  will  pass  through  all  thy  flock  to-day :  remove  thou 
thence  every  spccklud  and  spotted  sheep,  and  every  brown 
sheep  among  the  lambs,  and  the  spotted  and  speckled  among 
the  goats  :  and  such  shall  be  my  hire.  33.  And  my  rigliteous- 
ness  shall  answer  for  me  in  time  to  come,  when  thou  shalt  go 
over  my  hire  before  thee  ;  any  that  is  not  speckled  or  spotted 
among  the  goats,  or  brown  among  tlie  sheep,  is  stolen  with  mo. 

34.  And  Laban  said,  Behold,  may  it  be  according  to  tliy  word. 

35.  And  he  removed  that  day  all  the  straked  and  spotted  he- 
goats,  and  all  the  speckled  and  spotted  she-goats,  all  in  which 
was  any  white,  and  all  the  brown  among  the  sheep,  and  gave 
them  into  tlie  hand  of  his  sons.  3G.  And  he  set  tliree  days' 
journey  between  himself  and  Jacob  ;  and  Jacob  fed  the  rest 
of  Laban's  flock. 

37.  And  Jacob  took  him  fresh  rods  of  poplar  and  hazel  and 


GEN.  XXX.  397 

plane  ;  and  pilled  them  in  white  strakcs,  stripping  tlie  white 
that  was  in  the  rods.  38,  And  ho  set  the  rods,  which  he  had 
pilled,  in  the  trong-hs  in  the  vessels  of  water,  whither  the  flock 
went  to  drink,  before  the  flock,  and  they  conceived  when 
going  to  drink.  39.  And  the  flock  conceived  before  the  rods ; 
and  the  flock  bare  straked,  speckled,  and  spotted.  40.  And 
Jacob  separated  the  lambs,  and  set  the  faces  of  the  flock  to  the 
straked  and  all  the  brown  iji  the  flock  of  Laban  ;  and  he  put 
his  own  folds  by  themselves,  and  put  them  not  unto  Laban's 
flock.  41.  And  it  came  to  pass  wlien  the  strong  cattle  con- 
ceived, that  Jacob  set  the  rods  before  the  flock  in  the  troughs, 
that  they  might  conceive  at  the  rods.  42.  And  when  the 
sheep  were  weak  he  set  them  not ;  and  the  feeble  were  Laban's, 
and  the  strong  Jacob's.  43.  And  the  man  brake  forth  exceed- 
ingly ;  and  he  had  much  cattle,  and  maid-servants  and  men- 
servants,  and  camels  and  asses. 


This  chapter  is  the  continuation  of  the  former,  and  completes  the 
history  of  Jacob  in  Ilaran.  The  event  immediately  following  probably 
took  place  after  Leah  had  borne  tvro  of  her  sons,  though  not  admitted 
into  the  narrative  till  she  had  paused  for  a  short  time  (see  page  79). 

1-8.  Bilhah,  Rachel's  maid,  bears  two  sons.  1—4.  Rachel  becomes 
impatient  of  her  barrenness  and  jealous  of  her  sister,  and  unjustly  re- 
proaches her  husband,  who  indignantly  rebul^es  her.  God,  not  he,  has 
withheld  children  from  her.  She  does  what  Sarah  had  done  before 
her  (xvi.  2,  3),  gives  her  handmaid  to  her  husband.  No  express  law 
yet  forbade  this  course,  though  nature  and  Scripture  by  implication 
did  (ii.  23-25).  5,  6.  Dan.  God  hath  judged  me.  In  this  passage 
Jacob  and  Rachel  use  the  common  noun,  God,  the  Everlasting,  and 
therefore  Almighty,  who  rules  in  the  physical  relations  of  things,  —  a 
name  suitable  to  the  occasion.  He  had  judged  her,  dealt  with  her 
according  to  his  sovereign  justice  in  withholding  the  fruit  of  the  womb, 
when  she  was  self-complacent  and  forgetful  of  her  dependence  on  a 
higher  power;  and  also  in  hearing  her  voice  when  she  approached 
him  in  humble  supplication.  7,  8.  Naphtali.  Wrestlings  of  God,  with 
God,  in  prayer,  on  the  part  of  both  sisters,  so  that  they  wrestled  with 
one  another  in  the  seK'-same  act.     Rachel,  though  looking  first  to  Jacob 


398  JACOB'S  FAMILY  AND  WEALTH. 

and  then  to  her  maid,  had  at  length  learned  to  look  to  her  God,  and 
then  had  prevailed. 

9-13.  Leah  having  stayed  from  bearing,  resorts  to  the  same  expedi- 
ent. Her  fourth  son  was  seemingly  born  in  the  fourth  year  of  Jacob's 
marriage.  Bearing  her  first  four  sons  so  rapidly,  she  would  the  sooner 
observe  the  temporary  cessation.  After  the  interval  of  a  year  she 
may  have  given  Zilpah  to  Jacob.  10,  11.  Gad.  Victor?/  cometli.  She 
too  claims  a  victory.  12,  13.  Aslier.  Daughters  will  pronounce  her 
happy  who  is  so  ricli  in  sons.  Leah  is  seemingly  conscious  that  she  is 
here  pursuing  a  device  of  her  own  heart  ;  and  hence  there  is  no  ex- 
plicit reference  to  the  divine  name  or  mfluence  in  the  naming  of  the 
two  sons  of  her  maid. 

14-21.  Reuben  was  at  this  time  four  or  five  years  of  age,  as  it  is  prob- 
able that  Leah  began  to  bear  again  before  Zilpah  liad  her  second  son. 
Mandrahes,  —  the  fruit  of  the  mandragora  vernalis,  which  is  to  this  day 
supposed  to  promote  fruitfulness  of  the  womb.  Rachel  therefore  de- 
sires to  partake  of  them,  and  obtains  them  by  a  compact  with  Leah. 
lG-18.  Leah  betakes  herself  to  prayer,  and  bears  a  fifth  son.  Slie 
calls  him  IssaJcar,  with  a  double  allusion.  She  had  hired  her  husband 
with  the  mandrakes,  and  had  received  this  son  as  her  hire  for  giving 
her  maid  to  her  husband ;  which  she  regards  as  an  act  of  generosity  or 
self-denial.  19,  20.  Zehidun.  Here  Leah  confesses,  "  God  hath  en- 
dowed me  with  a  good  dowry."'  She  speaks  now  like  Rachel  of  the 
God  of  nature.  The  cherished  thought  that  her  husband  will  dwell 
with  her  who  is  the  mother  of  six  sons  takes  form  in  the  name.  21. 
Dinah  is  the  only  daughter  of  Jacob  mentioned  (xlvi.  7),  and  that  on 
account  of  her  subsequent  connection  with  the  history  of  Jacob  (xxxiv). 
Issakar  appears  to  have  been  born  in  the  sixth  year  after  Jacob's 
marriage,  Zebulun  in  the  seventh,  and  Dinah  in  the  eighth. 

22-24.  God  remembered  Rachel,  in  the  best  time  for  her,  after  he 
had  taught  her  the  lessons  of  dependence  and  patience.  Joseph.  There 
is  a  remote  allusion  to  her  gratitude  for  the  reproach  of  barrenness 
taken  away.  But  there  is  also  hope  in  the  name.  The  selfish  feeling 
also  has  died  away,  and  the  thankful  Rachel  rises"  from  Elohim,  the 
invisible  Eternal,  to  Jehovah,  the  manifest  Self-existent.  The  birth  of 
Joseph  was  after  the  fourteen  years  of  service  were  completed.  He 
and  Dinah  appear  to  have  been  born  in  the  same  year. 

2.'-3().  Jacob  cntei's  into  a  new  contract  of  service  with  Laban.  25, 
2G.  When  Rachel  had  borne  Joseph.  Jacob  cannot  ask  his  dismissal 
till  the  twice  seven  years  of  service  were  completed.     Hence  the  birth 


GEN.  XXX.  399 

of  Joseph,  wlaicli  is  the  date  of  his  request,  took  place  at  the  earliest 
ill  the  fifteenth  year  of  his  sojourn  with  Laban.  Jacob  now  wishes  to 
return  home,  from  which  he  had  been  detained  so  long  by  serving  for 
Eachel.  He  no  doubt  expects  of  Laban  the  means  at  least  of  accom- 
plishing his  journey.  27,  28.  Laban  is  loath  to  part  with  him.  I  have 
divined,  —  I  have  been  an  attentive  observer.  The  result  of  his  obser- 
vation is  expressed  in  the  following  words.  Appoint.  Laban  offers  to 
leave  the  fixing  of  the  hire  to  Jacob.  Thy  hire  upon  me,  which  I  will 
take  upon  me  as  binding.  29,  30.  Jacob  touches  upon  the  value  of 
his  services,  perhaps  with  the  tacit  feeling  that  Laban  in  equity  owed 
him  at  least  the  means  of  returning  to  his  home.  Brake  forth,  —  in- 
creased. At  my  foot,  —  under  my. guidance  and  tending  of  thy  flocks. 
Do, — provide.  31-33.  Thou  shalt  not  give  me  anything.  This  shows 
that  Jacob  had  no  stock  from  Laban  to  begin  with.  "  I  will  pass 
through  all  thy  flock  to-day  "  with  thee.  "  Remove  thou  thence  every 
speckled  and  spotted  sheep,  and  every  brown  sheep  among  the  lambs, 
and  the  spotted  and  speckled  among  the  goats."  These  were  the  rare 
colors,  as  in  the  East  the  sheep  are  usually  white,  and  the  goats  black 
or  dark  brown.  And  such  shall  be  my  hire.  Such  as  these  uncommon 
party-colored  cattle,  when  they  shall  appear  among  the  flock  already 
cleared  of  them  ;  and  not  those  of  this  description  that  are  now  re- 
moved. For  in  this  case  Laban  would  have  given  Jacob  something ; 
whereas  Jacob  was  resolved  to  be  entirely  dependent  on  the  divine 
providence  for  his  hire.  And  my  righteousness  will  answer  for  me. 
The  color  will  determine  at  once  whose  the  animal  is.  34-36.  Laban 
willingly  consents  to  so  favorable  a  proposal,  removes  the  party-col- 
ored animals  from  the  flock,  gives  them  into  the  hands  of  his  sons,  and 
puts  an  interval  of  three  days'  journey  between  them  and  the  pure 
stock  which  remains  in  Jacob's  hands.  Jacob  is  now  to  begin  with 
nothing,  and  have  for  his  hire  any  party-colored  lambs  or  kids  that 
appear  in  those  flocks,  from  which  every  specimen  of  this  rare  class 
has  been  carefully  removed. 

37-40.  Jacob  devises  means  to  provide  himself  with  a  flock  in  these 
unfavorable  circumstances.  37-40.  His  first  device  is  to  place  party- 
colored  rods  before  the  eyes  of  the  cattle  at  the  rutting  season,  that 
they  might  drop  lambs  and  kids  varied  with  speckles,  patches,  or 
streaks  of  white.  He  had  learned  from  experience  that  there  is  a 
congruence  between  the  colors  of  the  objects  contemplated  by  the  dams 
at  that  season  and  those  of  their  young.  At  all  events  they  bare 
many  straked,  speckled,  and  spotted  lambs  and  kids.     He  now  separa- 


400  JACOB'S  FLIGHT  FROM  HARAN. 

ted  the  lambs,  and  set  the  faces  of  the  flock  toward  the  young  of  the 
rare  colors,  doubtless  to  aifect  them  in  the  same  way  as  the  pilled  rods. 
Put  Ms  own  folds  by  themselves.  These  are  the  party-colored  cattle 
tliat  from  time  to  time  appeared  in  the  flock  of  Laban.  41,  42,  In  order 
to  secure  the  stronger  cattle,  Jacob  added  the  second  device  of  em- 
ploying the  party-colored  rods  only  when  the  strong  cattle  conceived. 
The  sheep  in  the  East  lamb  twice  a  year,  and  it  is  supposed  that  the  lambs 
dropped  in  autumn  are  stronger  than  those  dropped  in  the  spring. 
On  this  supposition  Jacob  used  his  artifice  in  the  spring,  and  not  in  the 
autumn.  It  is  probable,  however,  that  he  made  his  experiments  on 
the  healthy  and  vigorous  cattle,  without  reference  to  the  season  of  the 
year.  43.  The  result  is  here  stated.  The  mmi  brake  forth  exceedingly, 
—  became  rapidly  rich  in  hands  and  cattle. 

It  is  obvious  that  the  preceding  and  present  chapters  form  one  con- 
tinuous piece  of  composition ;  as  otherwise  we  have  no  account  of  the 
whole  family  of  Jacob  from  one  author.  But  the  names  Elohim  and 
Jehovah  are  both  employed  in  the  piece,  and  hence  their  presence  and 
interchange  cannot  indicate  diversity  of  authorship. 


LIX.    JACOB'S  FLIGHT  FROM  HARAN.— Gen.  xxxi. 

19.  Ci'iS^n  Teraphim.  This  word  occurs  fifteen  times  in  the  Old 
Testament.  It  appears  three  times  in  this  chapter,  and  nowhere  else 
in  the  Pentateuch.  It  is  always  in  the  plural  number.  The  root  does 
not  appear  in  Biblical  Hebrew.  It  perhaps  means  to  live  well,  intran- 
sitively (Gesen.,  Roedig.),  to  nourish,  transitively  (Furst).  The  tera- 
phim were  symbols  or  representatives  of  the  Deity,  as  Laban  calls 
them  his  gods.  They  seem  to  have  been  busts  (Trporo/xat,  Aquila)  of 
the  human  form,  sometimes  as  large  as  life  (1  Sam,  xix.  13).  Those 
of  full  size  were  probably  of  wood  ;  the  smaller  ones  may  have  been 
of  metal.  In  two  passages  (Jud.  xvii.  xviii. ;  IIos.  iii.  4)  they  are  six 
times  associated  with  the  ephod.  This  intimates  either  that  they  were 
worn  on  the  ephod,  like  the  Urim  and  Thummim,  or  more  probably 
that  the  ephod  was  worn  on  them ;  in  accordance  with  which  they 
were  employed  for  the  purposes  of  divination  (xxx.  27  ;  Zeph.  x.  2.) 
The  employment  of  them  in  tlie  worship  of  God,  which  Laban  seems 
to  have  inherited  from  his  fathers  (Josh.  xxiv.  2),  is  denounced  as 


GEN.  XXXI.  401 

idolatry  (1  Sam.  xv.  23)  ;  and  hence  they  are  classed  witli  the  idols 
and  other  abominations  put  away  by  Josiah  (2  Kings  xxiii.  24). 

47.  Nri^it?^  "I?'?  Jegar-sahadutlia,  cairn  of  witness,  in  the  Aramaic 
dialect  of  the  old  Hebrew,  or  Shemite  speech.  "iSJba  and  "is'ba  Gal'ed 
and  Gilad,  cairn  of  witness,  in  Hebrew  specially  so  called  (see  xi. 
1-9). 

49.  riQ^r^a  IVIizpah,  ivatch-tower. 


XXXI.  1.  And  he  heard  the  words  of  Laban's  sons,  saying 
Jacob  hath  taken  all  that  was  our  father's ;  and  of  that  which 
was  our  father's  hath  he  made  all  this  glory.  2,  And  Jacob  saw 
the  face  of  Laban  ;  and,  behold,  it  was  not  with  him  as  hereto- 
fore. 3.  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Jacob,  Return  unto  the 
land  of  thy  fathers,  and  to  thy  kindred  ;  and  I  will  be  with 
thee.  4.  And  Jacob  sent  and  called  Rachel  and  Leah  to  the 
field  unto  his  flock.  5.  And  said  unto  them,  I  see  your  fa- 
ther's face  that  it  is  not  towards  me  as  heretofore  ;  and  the  God 
of  my  father  hath  been  with  me.  6.  And  ye  know  that  with 
all  my  might  I  served  your  father.  7.  And  your  father  hath 
deceived  me,  and  changed  my  wages  ten  times  :  and  God  suf- 
fered him  not  to  hurt  me.  8,  If  he  said  thus.  The  speckled 
shall  be  thy  hire,  then  all  the  cattle  bare  speckled  :  and  if  he 
said  thus.  The  straked  shall  be  thy  hire,  then  all  the  cattle 
bare  straked.  9.  And  God  took  away  the  cattle  of  your  father, 
and  gave  them  to  me.  10.  And  it  came  to  pass  at  the  time 
that  the  cattle  conceived,  that  I  lifted  up  mine  eyes  and  saw 
in  a  dream,  and  beheld  the  bucks  that  leaped  upon  the  flock, 
were  straked,  speckled,  and  grisled.  11.  And  the  angel  of 
God  said  to  me  in  a  dream,  Jacob  ;  and  I  said,  Here  am  I.  12. 
And  he  said.  Lift  up  now  thine  eyes  and  see,  all  the  bucks 
that  leap  upon  the  flock  are  straked,  speckled,  and  grisled  ;. 
for  I  have  seen  all  that  Laban  doeth  unto  thee.  13.  I  am  the. 
God  of  Bethel,  where  thou  anointedst  a  pillar,  when  thou_ 
vowedst  to  me  a  vow  :  now  arise,  come  out  of  this  land,  and 
return  unto  the  land  of  thy  kindred. 
51 


402  JACOB'S  FLIGHT  FROM  HAEAN. 

14,  And  Rachel  and  Leah  answered  and  said  unto  him,  Is 
there  yet  to  us  any  portion  or  inheritance  in  our  father's  house  ? 
15.  Are  we  not  counted  of  him  strangers  ?  For  he  hath  sold 
us  ;  and  he  quite  devoured  also  our  silver.  16.  For  all  the 
riches  wliich  God  hath  taken  from  our  father,  belongs  to  us 
and  our  children  ;  and  now  all  tliat  God  hath  said  unto  thee, 
do.  17.  And  Jacob  rose  up,  and  set  his  sons  and  his  wives 
upon  camels.  18.  And  he  carried  away  all  his  cattle,  and  all 
his  gain  which  he  had  gained,  the  cattle  of  his  getting,  which 
he  had  gained,  in  Padan-aram,  to  go  to  Isaac  his  father,  to  the 
land  of  Kenaan.  19.  And  Laban  went  to  shear  his  sheep: 
and  Rachel  stole  the  teraphim  which  were  her  father's. 

20.  And  Jacob  stole  the  heart  of  Laban  the  Aramitc,  in  that 
he  told  him  not  that  he  fled.  21.  And  he  fled  and  all  that  he 
had;  and  he  rose  up  and  passed  over  the  river:  and  he  set 
his  face  toward  Mount  Gilead.  22.  And  it  was  told  Laban  on 
the  third  day,  that  Jacob  was  fled.  23.  And  he  took  his 
brethren  with  liim,  and  pursued  after  him  seven  days'  journey : 
.and  overtook  him  in  Mount  Gilead.  21.  And  God  came  to 
Laban  the  Aramite  in  a  dream  of  the  night :  and  said  unto 
liim.  Take  heed  that  thou  speak  not  with  Jacob  from  good  to 
bad. 

25.  And  Laban  overtook  Jacob  :  and  Jacob  had  pitched  his 
tent  in  tlie  mount ;  and  Laban  pitched  with  his  brethren  in 
llouut  Gilead.  26.  And  Laban  said  to  Jacob,  What  hast  thou 
done  ?  and  stolest  my  heart,  and  carriedst  away  my  daughters 
^as  captives  of  the  sword.  27.  "Why  liast  thou  fled  away  se- 
■cretly,  and  stolen  away  from  me:  and  hast  not  told  me,  that 
1  miglit  send  thee  away  with  gladness  and  with  songs,  and  with 
-tabret  and  with  harp  ?  28.  And  hast  not  suffered  me  to  kiss  my 
sons  and  my  daughters.  Now  hast  thou  done  foolishly.  29.  It 
is  in  the  power  of  my  hand  to  do  you  hurt:  and  tlie  God  of 
your  father  yesternight  said  to  mo,  saying.  Take  heed  that  thou 
•speak  not  with  Jacob  from  good  to  bad.  30.  And  now  thou 
'liast  indeed  gone,  because  thou  sorely  longcdst  after  thy  fa- 


GEK  XXXI.  403 

thor's  house  ;  wherefore  hast  tliou  stolen  my  gods  ?  81.  And 
Jacob  answered  and  said  to  Laban,  Because  I  was  afraid  ;  for 
I  said,  Lest  thou  snatch  tliy  daughters  from  me.  32.  With 
■whomsoerer  thou  findest  thy  gods,  let  him  not  live  ;  before  our 
brethren  discern  what  is  thine  with  me,  and  take  it  to  thee. 
For  Jacob  knew  not  that  Rachel  had  stolen  them. 

83.  And  Laban  went  into  Jacob's  tent,  and  into  Leah's  tent, 
and  into  the  two  handmaids'  tents,  and  found  them  not:  and 
he  came  from  Leah's  tent,  and  went  into  Rachel's  tent.  34. 
And  Rachel  had  taken  the  teraphim  and  put  them  into  the 
camel's  saddle,  and  sat  upon  them  :  and  Laban  felt  all  the 
tent,  and  found  them  not.  35.  And  she  said  to  her  father,  Let 
it  not  displease  my  lord  that  I  cannot  rise  up  before  thee,  for 
the  custom  of  women  is  upon  me.  And  he  searched  and  found 
not  the  teraphim.  36.  And  Jacob  was  wroth,  and  chode  with 
Laban  :  and  Jacob  answered  and  said  to  Laban,  What  is  my 
trespass,  and  what  my  sin,  that  thou  hast  pursued  after  me  ? 
37.  When  thou  hast  felt  all  my  stuff,  what  hast  thou  found  of 
all  thy  household  stuff  ?  Set  it  here  before  my  brethren  and 
thy  brethren,  and  let  them  judge  between  us  both.  38.  These 
twenty  years  have  I  been  with  thee  :  thy  ewes  and  thy  she- 
goats  have  not  cast  their  young,  and  the  rams  of  thy  flock 
have  I  not  eaten.  39.  That  which  was  torn  brought  I  not  unto 
thee :  I  myself  bare  the  loss  of  it  ;  of  my  hand  didst  thou  re- 
quire it,  stolen  by  day  or  stolen  by  night.  40.  Thus  I  was : 
by  day  the  drought  consumed  me,  and  the  frost  by  niglit ;  and 
my  sleep  fled  from  mine  eyes.  41.  Thus  was  I  twenty  years 
in  thy  house  ;  I  served  thee  fourteen  years  for  thy  two  daugh- 
ters, and  six  years  for  thy  cattle :  and  thou  changedst  my 
wages  ten  times.  42.  Unless  the  God  of  my  father,  the  God 
of  Abraham,  and  the  fear  of  Isaac,  had  been  with  me,  thou 
hadst  now  sent  me  away  empty :  my  affliction  and  the  labor 
of  my  hands  God  hath  seen,  and  judged  yesternight. 

43.  And  Laban  answered  and  said  unto  Jacob,  The  daugh- 
ters are  my  daughters,  the  sons  my  sons,  and  the  cattle  ray 


404  JACOB'S  FLIGHT  THOM  HARAN. 

cattle,  and  all  that  thou  seest  is  mine  :  and  what  can  I  do  this 
day  unto  tliese  my  daughters,  or  unto  their  children  which 
they  liavc  borne  ?  44.  And  now  come,  make  we  a  covenant, 
I  and  thou,  and  let  it  be  a  witness  between  me  and  thee.  45. 
And  Jacob  took  a  stone,  and  set  it  up  for  a  pillar.  46.  And 
Jacob  said  unto  his  brethren,  Gather  stones.  And  they  took 
stones  and  made  a  lieap,  and  they  ate  there  upon  the  heap.  47. 
And  Lal)an  called  it  Jegar-sahadutha :  and  Jacob  called  it 
Galeed. 

48.  And  Laban  said.  This  heap  is  witness  between  me  and 
thee  this  day ;  therefore  was  its  name  called  Galeed  ;  49.  And 
Mizpah,  for  he  said,  The  Lord  watch  between  me  and  thee, 
when  we  are  absent  one  from  another.  50.  If  thou  shalt 
afflict  my  daughters,  or  if  thou  take  other  wives  beside  my 
daughters,  no  man  is  with  us ;  see,  God  is  witness  between  me 
and  thee.  51.  And  Laban  said  to  Jacob,  Behold  this  heap, 
and  behold  the  pillar,  which  I  have  cast  between  me  and  thee. 
52.  Witness  be  this  heap,  and  witness  the  pillar,  that  I  will 
not  pass  over  this  heap  to  thee,  and  that  thou  shalt  not  pass 
over  this  heap  and  this  pillar  to  me,  for  harm.  53.  The  God 
of  Abraham,  and  the  God  of  Nahor,  the  God  of  their  father, 
judge  between  us.  And  Jacob  sware  by  the  fear  of  his  fa- 
ther Isaac.  54.  And  Jacob  offered  sacrifice  upon  the  mount, 
and  called  his  brethren  to  eat  bread  ;  and  they  ate  bread,  and 
lodged  in  the  mount. 

Jacob  had  now  been  twenty  years  in  Laban's  service,  and  was  there- 
fore ninety-six  years  of  age.  It  has  now  become  manifest  that  he 
cannot  obtain  leave  of  Laban  to  return  home.  He  must,  therefore, 
either  come  off  by  the  high  hand,  or  by  secret  flight.  Jacob  has  many 
reasons  for  preferring  the  latter  course. 

1-13.  Circumstances  at  length  induce  Jacob  to  propose  flight  to  his 
wives.  1,  2.  His  prosperity  provokes  the  envy  and  slander  of  Laban's 
sons,  and  Laban  himself  becomes  estranged.  3.  The  Lord  now  com- 
mands Jacob  to  return,  and  promises  liim  his  presence  to  protect  him. 
4--13.  Jacob  now  opens  his  mind  fully  to  Rachel  and  Leah.     Rachel, 


GEN.  XXXI.  405 

we  obseiTe,  is  put  first.  Several  new  facts  come  out  in  his  discourse 
to  them.  Te  hnoio  —  Jacob  appeals  to  his  wives  on  this  point  —  that 
tcith  all  my  might  I  served  your  father.  He  means,  of  course,  to  the 
extent  of  his  engagement.  During  the  last  six  years  he  was  to  pro- 
vide for  his  own  house,  as  the  Lord  permitted  him,  with  the  full  knowl- 
edge and  concurrence  of  Laban.  Beyond  this,  which  is  a  fair  and 
acknowledged  exception,  he  has  been  faithful  in  keeping  the  cattle  of 
Laban.  Your  father  deceived  me,  and  changed  my  wages  ten  times  ; 
that  is,  as  often  as  he  could.  If,  at  the  end  of  the  first  year,  he  found 
that  Jacob  had  gained  considerably,  though  he  began  with  nothing,  he 
might  change  his  wages  every  following  half-year,  and  so  actually 
change  them  ten  times  m  five  years.  In  this  case,  the  preceding 
chapter  only  records  his  original  expedients,  and  then  states  the  final 
result.  God  suffered  him  not  to  hurt  me.  Jacob,  we  are  to  remem- 
ber, left  his  hire  to  the  providence  of  God.  He  thought  himself 
bound  at  the  same  time  to  use  all  legitimate  means  for  the  attainment 
of  the  desired  end.  His  expedients  may  have  been  perfectly  legitimate 
in  the  circumstances,  but  they  were  evidently  of  no  avail  without  the 
divine  blessing.  And  they  would  become  wholly  ineffectual  when  his 
wages  were  changed.  Hence  he  says,  God  took  the  cattle  and  gave 
them  to  me.  10-13.  Jacob  seems  here  to  record  two  dreams,  the  foi-mer 
of  which  is  dated  at  the  rutting  season.  The  dream  indicates  the  re- 
sult by  a  symbolic  representation,  which  ascribes  it  rather  to  the  God 
of  nature  than  to  the  man  of  art.  The  second  dream  makes  allusion  to 
the  former  as  a  process  still  going  on  up  to  the  present  time.  This 
appears  to  be  an  encouragement  to  Jacob  now  to  commit  himself  to  the 
Lord  on  his  way  home.  The  angel  of  the  Lord,  we  observe,  announ- 
ces himself  as  the  God  of  Bethel,  and  recalls  to  Jacob  the  pillar  and 
the  vow.  The  angel,  then,  is  Jehovah  manifesting  himself  to  human 
apprehension. 

1-1-19,  His  wives  entirely  accord  with  his  view  of  their  father's 
selfishness  in  dealing  with  his  son-in-law,  and  approve  of  his  intended 
departure.  Jacob  makes  all  the  needful  preparations  for  a  hasty  and 
secret  flight.  He  avails  himself  of  the  occasion  when  Laban  is  at  a 
distance  probably  of  three  or  more  days'  journey,  shearing  his  sheep. 
Rachel  stole  the  teraphim.  It  is  not  the  business  of  Scripture  to  acquaint 
us  with  the  kinds  and  characteristics  of  false  worship.  Hence  we 
know  little  of  the  teraphim,  except  that  they  were  employed  by  those 
who  professed  to  worship  the  true  God.  Rachel  had  a  lingering 
attachment   to  these    objects  of  her  family's  superstitious  reverence, 


406  JACOB'S  FLIGPIT  FEOM  HAEAN. 

and  secretly  carried  tliem  away  as  relics  of  a  home  she  was  to  visit 
no  more,  and  as  sources  of  safety  to  herself  against  the  perils  of  her 
flight. 

20-24.  Laban  hears  of  his  flight,  pursues,  and  overtakes  him.  Stole 
the  heart,  KkinTeiv  vovv.  The  heart  is  the  seat  of  the  understanding  in 
Scripture.  To  steal  the  heart  of  any  one  is  to  act  without  his  knowl- 
edge. The  river.  The  Frat,  near  which,  we  may  conclude,  Jacob 
was  tending  his  flocks.  Haran  was  about  seventy  miles  from  the 
river,  and  therefore  Laban's  flocks  were  on  the  other  side  of  Haran. 
Toward  mount  Gilead ;  about  three  hundred  miles  from  the  Frat.  On 
the  third  day.  This  shows  that  Laban's  flocks  kept  by  his  sons  were 
still  three  days'  journey  apart  from  Jacob's.  His  brethren,  —  his  kin- 
dred and  dependents.  Seven  days'  journey.  On  the  third  day  after  the 
arrival  of  the  messenger,  Laban  might  return  to  the  spot  whence  Jacob 
had  taken  his  flight.  In  this  case,  Jacob  would  have  at  least  five 
days  of  a  start ;  which,  added  to  the  seven  days  of  pursuit,  would  give 
him  twelve  days  to  travel  three  hundred  English  miles.  To  those 
accustomed  to  the  pastoral  life  this  was  a  possible  achievement.  God 
appears  to  Laban  on  behalf  of  Jacob,  and  warns  him  not  to  harm  him. 
Not  to  speak  from  good  to  had,  is  merely  to  abstain  from  language 
expressing  and  prefacing  violence. 

25-32.  Laban's  expostulation  and  Jacob's  reply.  What  hast  thou 
done  ?  Laban  intimates  that  he  would  have  dismissed  him  honorably 
and  affectionately,  and  therefore  that  his  flight  was  needless  and  un- 
kind ;  and  finally  charges  him  with  stealing  his  gods.  Jacob  gives  him 
to  understand  that  he  did  not  expect  fair  treatment  at  his  hands,  and 
gives  him  leave  to  search  for  his  gods,  not  knowing  that  Rachel  had 
taken  them. 

33-42.  After  the  search  for  the  teraphim  has  proved  vain,  Jacob 
warmly  upbraids  Laban.  The  cameVs  saddle.  This  Avas  a  pack -sad- 
dle, in  the  recesses  of  which  articles  might  be  deposited,  and  on  which 
was  a  seat  or  couch  for  the  rider.  Rachel  pleads  the  custom  of  women 
as  an  excuse  for  keeping  her  seat ;  which  is  admitted  by  Laban,  not 
perhaps  from  the  fear  of  ceremonial  defilement  (Lev.  xv.  19-27),  as 
this  law  was  not  yet  in  force,  but  from  respect  to  his  daughter  and  the 
conviction  that  in  such  circumstances  she  would  not  sit  upon  the  tera- 
phim. 3Iy  brethren  and  thy  brethren,  —  their  common  kindred.  Jacob 
recapitulates  his  services  in  feeling  terms.  By  day  the  drought ;  caused 
by  the  heat,  which  is  extreme  during  the  day,  while  the  cold  is  not 
less  severe  in  Palestine  during  the  night.      The  fear  of  Isaac,  —  the 


GEN.  xxxn.  407 

God  whom  Isaac  fears.  42.  Judged,  —  requited  by  restraining  thee 
from  wrong-doing. 

43-47.  Laban,  now  pacilied,  if  not  conscience-stricken,  proposes  a 
covenant  between  them.  Jacob  erects  a  memorial  pillar,  around  which 
the  clan  gather  a  cairn  of  stones,  which  serves  by  its  name  for  a  wit- 
ness of  their  compact.  Jegar-sahadutha.  Here  is  the  first  decided 
specimen  of  Aramaic,  as  contradistinguished  from  Hebrew.  Its  inci- 
dental appearance  indicates  a  fully  formed  dialect  known  to  Jacob, 
and  distinct  from  his  own.  Gilead  or  Galeed  remains  to  this  day  in 
Jebel  Jelad,  though  the  original  spot  was  further  north. 

48-54.  The  covenant  is  then  completed.  49,  50.  And  Mizpah. 
This  refers  to  some  prominent  cliff  from  which,  as  a  watch-tower,  an 
extensive  view  might  be  obtained.  It  was  in  the  northern  half  of 
Gilead  (Deut.  iii.  12,  13),  and  is  noticed  in  Judges  xi.  29.  It  is  not 
to  be  confounded  with  other  places  called  by  the  same  name.  The  ref- 
erence of  this  name  to  the  present  occurrence  is  explained  in  these  two 
verses.  The  names  Gilead  and  Mizpah  may  have  arisen  from  this 
transaction,  or  received  a  new  turn  in  consequence  of  its  occurrence. 
51-53-  The  terms  of  the  covenant  are  now  formally  stated.  I  have  cast. 
The  erection  of  the  pillar  was  a  joint  act  of  the  two  parties ;  in  which 
Laban  proposes,  Jacob  performs,  and  all  take  part.  The  God  of  Abra- 
ham, Nahor,  and  Terah.  This  is  an  interesting  acknowledgment  that 
their  common  ancestor  Terah  and  his  descendants  down  to  Laban  stiU 
acknowledged  the  true  God  even  in  their  idolatry.  Jacob  swears  by 
the  fear  of  Isaac,  perhaps  to  rid  himself  of  any  error  that  had  crept  into 
Laban's  notions  of  God  and  his  worship.  54.  The  common  sacrifice 
and  the  common  meal  ratify  the  covenant  of  reconciliation. 


LX.    JACOB  WRESTLES  IX  PRAYER.  —Gen.  xxxii. 

3.  C'^:n^  Machanaim,  two  camps. 
22.  pa;;  Jabboq ;  r.  pj^a  gush  or  gurgle  out,  or  p^ij  in  niph.  wrestle. 
Now  "Wady  Zurka. 

29.  ^i<7^";  Jisrael,  prince  of  God. 

31.  ^x^:3  =  'bxiisQ  Peniel,  Penuel, /ace  of  God. 

XXXII.     1.  And  Laban  rose   early  in   the  morning,  and 
kissed  liis  sons  and  his  daughters,  and  blessed  them :  and  La- 


408  JACOB  WRESTLES  IN  PEAYEE. 

ban  went  and  returned  unto  his  place.  2.  And  Jacob  went 
on  his  way,  and  the  angels  of  God  met  him.  3.  And  Jacob 
said,  when  he  saw  them,  This  is  God's  camp :  and  he  called 
the  name  of  the  place  Mahanaim.  8  HW  28 

4.  And  Jacob  sent  messengers  before  him  to  Esau  his 
brother,  unto  the  land  of  Seir,  the  field  of  Edom.  5.  And  he 
commanded  them,  saying,  Thus  shall  ye  say  unto  my  lord 
Esau :  Thus  saith  thy  servant  Jacob,  With  Laban  have  I 
sojourned  and  tarried  until  now.  6.  And  I  have  oxen  and 
asses,  flocks,  and  men-servants  and  maid-servants  :  and  I  sent  to 
tell  my  lord,  to  find  grace  in  thine  eyes.  7.  And  the  messen- 
gers returned  to  Jacob,  saying.  We  have  gone  to  thy  brother 
Esau,  and  also  he  cometh  to  meet  thee,  and  four  hundred 
men  with  him.  8.  And  Jacob  was  greatly  afraid  and  dis- 
tressed, and  he  divided  the  people  that  was  with  him,  and  the 
flocks,  and  the  herds,  and  the  camels,  into  two  camps.  9.  And 
he  said.  If  Esau  go  to  the  one  camp,  and  smite  it,  then  the 
camp  that  is  left  shall  escape. 

10.  And  Jacob  said,  0  God  of  my  father  Abraham,  and  God 
of  my  father  Isaac,  thou  Lord  who  saidst  unto  me,  Return 
unto  thy  land,  and  to  thy  kindred,  and  I  will  deal  well  with 
thee,  11.  I  am  less  than  all  the  mercies  and  all  the  truth 
which  thou  hast  done  unto  thy  servant ;  for  with  my  staff  I 
passed  over  this  Jordan,  and  now  I  am  become  two  camps.  12. 
Deliver  me  now  from  the  hand  of  my  brother,  from  tlie  hand 
of  Esau  :  for  I  fear  him,  lest  he  come  and  smite  mc,  the  mo- 
ther with  the  children.  13.  And  thou  saidst,  I  will  surely 
deal  well  with  thee,  and  make  thy  seed  as  the  sand  of  the  sea, 
which  cannot  be  numbered  for  multitude. 

14.  And  he  lodged  there  that  night ;  and  took  of  that  which 
was  come  into  his  hand  a  present  for  Esau  his  brother  :  15.  She- 
goats  two  hundred,  and  he-goats  twenty,  ewes  two  hundred, 
and  rams  twenty.  IG.  Milch  camels  and  their  colts  thirty, 
kine  forty,  and  bulls  ten,  she-asses  twenty,  and  foals  ten.  17. 
And  he  delivered  into  the  hand  of  his  servants  every  drove  by 


GEN.  xxxn.  409 

itself;  and  said  unto  his  servants.  Pass  over  before  me,  and 
put  a  space  between  drove  and  drove.  18.  And  he  command- 
ed the  foremost,  saying.  When  Esau  my  brother  meeteth  tliee, 
and  asketh  thee,  saying.  Whose  art  thou  ?  and  whither  goest 
thou  ?  and  whose  are  these  before  thee  ?  19.  Then  shalt  thou 
say,  Thy  servant  Jacob's  :  this  is  a  present  sent  unto  ray  lord 
Esau :  and  behold,  also,  he  is  behind  us.  20.  And  he  com- 
manded also  the  second  and  the  third,  and  all  that  went  after 
the  droves,  saying,  On  this  manner  shall  ye  speak  unto  Esau, 
when  ye  find  him.  21.  And  ye  shall  say  also,  Behold,  thy 
servant  Jacob  is  behind  us.  For  he  said,  I  will  appease  him 
with  the  present  that  goeth  before  me,  and  afterwards  I  will 
see  his  face  :  mayhap  he  will  lift  up  my  face.  22.  And  the 
present  passed  over  before  him  ;  and  he  himself  lodged  that 
night  in  the  camp. 

23.  And  he  rose  up  that  night,  and  took  his  two  wives,  and 
his  two  handmaids,  and  his  eleven  sons,  and  passed  over  the 
ford  of  Jabbok.  24.  And  he  took  them  and  sent  them  over 
the  brook,  and  sent  over  that  he  had.  25.  And  Jacob  was  left 
alone  ;  and  a  man  wrestled  with  him  until  the  dawn  arose. 
2G.  And  he  saw  that  he  prevailed  not  over  him,  and  he  touched 
the  socket  of  his  thigh,  and  the  socket  of  Jacob's  thigh  was 
wrenched  in  his  wresthng  with  him.  27.  And  he  said,  Let  me 
go,  for  the  dawn  ariseth.  And  he  said,  I  will  not  let  thee  go, 
except  thou  bless  me.  28.  And  he  said  unto  him,  What  is  thy 
name  ?  And  he  said,  Jacob.  29.  And  he  said,  No  more  Ja- 
cob shall  thy  name  be  called,  but  Israel ;  for  thou  hast  striven 
to  be  prince  with  God  and  with  men,  and  didst  prevail.  30. 
And  Jacob  asked  and  said,  Tell  now  thy  name,  xind  he  said, 
Why  is  this  that  thou  askest  for  my  name  ?  And  he  blessed 
him  there.  31.  And  Jacob  called  the  name  of  the  place  Pe- 
niel :  for  I  have  seen  God  face  to  face,  and  my  life  is  preserved. 
32.  And  the  sun  rose  upon  him  as  he  passed  over  Penuel, 
and  ho  halted  upon  his  thigh.  33.  Therefore  the  children  of 
Israel  eat  not  the  sinew  that  shrank,  which  is  upon  the  socket 
52 


410  JACOB  WRESTLES  IN  PRAYER. 

of  the  thigh,  unto  this  day  ;  because  ho  touched  the  socket  of 
Jacob's  thigh  in  the  sinew  that  shrank. 

After  twenty  yeai"s  spent  in  Aram,  Jacob  now  returns  to  Kenaan. 
As  his  departure  was  marked  by  a  great  moment  in  his  spiriiual  life, 
so  he  is  now  approaching  to  a  crisis  in  his  life  of  no  less  significance. 

1-3.  Jacob  has  a  vision  of  the  heavenly  host.  1.  This  passage,  re- 
cording Laban's  farewell  and  departure,  closes  the  connection  of  Jacob 
Vv'ith  Ilaran  and  all  its  toils  of  servitude,  and  is  hence  annexed  to  the 
previous  chapter  in  the  English  version.  In  the  distribution  of  the 
original  test,  it  is  regarded  as  the  counterpart  of  the  two  following 
verses,  in  which  Jacob's  onward  progress  is  mentioned,  and  so  placed 
with  them  at  the  beginning  of  a  new  chapter.  2,  3.  The  angels  of  God 
met  him.  Twenty  years  ago  Jacob  saw  the  mystical  ladder  connecting 
heaven  and  earth,  and  the  angels  of  God  thereupon  ascending  and 
descending  from  the  one  to  the  other.  Now,  in  circumstances  of  dan- 
ger, he  sees  the  angels  of  God  on  earth,  encamped  beside  or  around 
his  own  camp  (Ps.  xxxiv.  8).  He  recognizes  them  as  God's  camp, 
and  names  the  place  Mahanaim,  from  the  double  encampment.  This 
vision  is  not  dwelt  upon,  as  it  is  the  mere  sequel  of  the  former  scene 
at  Bethel.  Mahanaim  has  been  identified  with  Mahneh,  about  eight 
miles  from  the  cairn  of  Laban  and  Jacob. 

4-9.  Jacob  now  sends  a  message  to  Esau  apprising  him  of  his  arri- 
vah  Unto  the  land  of  Seir.  Arabia  Petraea,  with  which  Esau  be- 
came connected  by  his  marriage  with  a  daughter  of  Ishmael.  He  was 
now  married  fifty-six  years  to  his  first  two  wives,  and  twenty  to  his 
last,  and  therefore  had  a  separate  and  extensive  establishment  of  chil- 
dren and  grandchildren.  Jacob  endeavors  to  make  amends  for  the 
past  by  an  humble  and  respectful  approach  to  his  elder  brother,  iu 
which  he  styles  himself,  "  thy  servant,"  and  Esau,  "  my  lord."  He 
informs  him  of  his  wealth,  to  intimate  that  he  did  not  expect  anything 
from  him.  Four  hundred  men  with  Mm.  This  was  a  formidable  force. 
Esau  had  begun  to  live  by  the  sword  (xxvii.  40),  and  had  surrounded 
himself  with  a  numerous  body  of  followers.  Associated  by  marriage 
v/ith  the  Hittites  and  the  Ishmaelites,  he  had  rapidly  risen  to  the  rank 
of  a  powerful  chieftain.  It  is  vain  to  conjecture  with  what  intent  Esau 
advanced  at  the  head  of  so  large  a  retinue.  It  is  probable  that  he  was 
accustomed  to  a  strong  escort,  that  he  wished  to  make  an  imposing  ap- 
pearance before  his  brother,  and  that  his  mind  was  in  that  wavering 
slale,  v.'Len  tlic  slii'-htest  incident  might  soothe  him  into  good-will,  or 


GEN.  XXXII.  411 

arouse  him  to  vengeance.  8,  9.  Jacob,  remembering  Iiis  OAvn  former 
dealings  with  him,  has  good  cause  for  alarm.  He  betakes  himself  to 
the  means  of  deliverance.  He  disposes  of  his  horde  into  two  camps, 
that  if  one  were  attacked  and  captured,  the  other  might  meanwhile 
esca])e.     He  never  neglects  to  take  all  the  precautions  in  his  power. 

10-13,  Next  he  betakes  himself  to  prayer.  Pie  appeals  to  the  God 
of  Abraham  and  Isaac,  to  Jehovah  the  God  of  promise  and  perform- 
ance. /  am  less  than  ;  unworthy  of  all  the  mercy  and  truth  of  God. 
With  my  staff.  Jacob  seems  to  have  left  his  home  v,^ithout  escort  and 
without  means.  It  was  evidently  intended  that  he  should  return  in  a 
short  time  ;  but  unforeseen  circumstances  lengthened  the  period.  3fe, 
the  mother  with  the  children.  Me  is  here  used  in  that  pregnant  sense 
which  is  familiar  in  Scripture,  to  include  his  whole  clan ;  as  Ishmael, 
Israel,  Edom,  often  stand  for  their  respective  races.  He  then  pleads 
the  express  promise  of  God  (xxviii.  10-15,  xxxi.  3). 

14-22.  Jacob  sends  forward  a  present  to  Esau.  He  lodged  there 
that  night.  Mahanaim  may  have  been  about  twenty-five  miles  from 
the  Jabbok.  At  some  point  in  the  interval  he  awaited  the  return  of 
his  messengers.  Abiding  during  the  night  in  the  camp,  not  far  from 
the  ford  of  the  Jabbok,  he  selects  and  sends  forward  to  Esau  his  valu- 
able present  of  five  hundred  and  fifty  head  of  cattle.  That  which  was 
come  into  his  hand,  into  his  possession.  The  cattle  are  selected  accord- 
ing to  the  propoi'tions  of  male  and  female  which  were  adopted  from 
experience  among  the  ancients  (Yarro,  de  re  rust.  II.  3).  Every  drove 
ly  itself,  with  a  space  between,  that  Esau  might  have  time  to  estimate 
the  great  value  of  the  gift.  The  repetition  of  the  announcement  of  the 
gift,  and  of  Jacob  himself  being  at  hand,  was  calculated  to  appease  Esau, 
and  persuade  him  that  Jacob  was  approaching  him  in  all  brotherly 
confidence  and  affection.  Apjoease  him.  Jacob  designs  this  gift  to  be 
the  means  of  propitiating  his  brother  before  he  appears  in  his  presence. 
Lift  up  my  face,  accept  me.  Lodged  that  night  in  the  camp  ;  after 
sending  this  present  over  the  Jabbok.  This  seems  the  same  night 
referred  to  in  v.  14. 

23-33.  Jacob  wrestles  with  a  man.  23,  24.  Passed  over  the  ford  of 
Jabhoh.  The  Jabbok  rose  near  Rabbath  Ammon,  and  flowed  into  the 
Jordan,  separating  North  Gilead  from  South,  or  the  kingdom  of  Og 
from  that  of  Slhon.  25.  Jacob  was  left  alone,  on  the  north  side,  after 
all  had  passed  over.  A  man  wrestled  loith  him.  "When  God  has  a 
new  thing  of  a  spiritual  nature  to  bring  into  the  experience  of  man,  he 
begins  with  the  senses.     He  takes  man  on  the  ground  on  which  he 


412  JACOB  WRESTLES  IN  PEAYER. 

finds  him,  and  leads  him  through  the  senses  to  the  higher  things  of 
reason,  conscience,  and  communion  with  God. 

Jacob  seems  to  have  gone  through  the  principles  or  foundations  of 
faith  in  God  and  repentance  towards  him,  which  gave  a  character  to 
the  history  of  his  grandfather  and  father,  and  to  have  entered  upon 
the  stage  of  spontaneous  action.  He  had  that  inward  feeling  of  spir- 
itual power  which  prompted  the  apostle  to  say,  "  I  can  do  all  things." 
Hence  we  find  him  dealing  with  Esau  for  the  birthright,  plotting  with 
his  mother  for  the  blessing,  erecting  a  pillar  and  vowing  a  vow  at 
Bethel,  overcoming  Laban  with  his  own  weapons,  and  even  now  tak- 
ing the  most  prudent  measures  for  securing  a  welcome  from  Esau  on 
his  return.  He  relied  indeed  on  God,  as  was  demonstrated  in  many 
of  his  words  and  deeds ;  but  the  prominent  feature  of  his  character 
was  a  strong  and  firm  reliance  on  himself.  But  this  practical  self- 
reliance,  though  naturally  springing  up  in  the  new  man  and  highly 
commendable  in  itself,  was  not  yet  in  Jacob  duly  subordinated  to  that 
absolute  reliance  which  ought  to  be  placed  in  the  Author  of  our  being 
and  our  salvation.  Hence  he  had  been  betrayed  into  intrusive,  dubi- 
ous, and  even  sinister  courses,  which  in  the  retributive  providence  of 
God  had  brought,  and  were  yet  to  bring  him,  into  many  troubles  and 
perplexities.  The  hazard  of  his  present  situation  arose  chiefly  from  his 
former  unjustifiable  practices  towards  his  brother.  He  is  now  to  learu 
the  lesson  of  unreserved  reliance  on  God. 

A  man  appeared  to  him  in  his  loneliness  ;  one  having  the  bodily  form 
and  substance  of  a  man.  Wrestled  with  him,  —  encountered  him  in  the 
very  point  in  Avhich  he  was  strong.  He  had  been  a  taker  by  the  heel 
from  his  very  birdi  (25,  26),  and  his  subsequent  life  had  been  a  con- 
stant and  successful  struggle  with  adversaries.  And  when  lie,  the 
stranger,  saw  that  he  prevailed  not  over  him.  Jacob,  true  to  his 
character,  struggles  while  life  remains,  with  this  new  combatant.  He 
touched  the  sachet  of  his  thigh,  so  that  it  was  wrenched  out  of  joint. 
The  thigh  is  the  pillar  of  a  man's  strength,  and  its  joint  with  the  hip 
the  seat  of  physical  force  for  the  wrestler.  Let  the  thigh  bone  be 
thrown  out  of  joint,  and  the  man  is  utterly  disabled.  Jacob  now  finds 
that  this  mysterious  wrestler  has  wrested  from  him,  by  one  touch,  all  his 
might,  and  he  can  no  longer  stand  alone.  Without  any  support  what- 
ever from  himself,  he  hangs  upon  the  conqueror,  and  in  that  condition 
learns  by  experience  the  practice  of  sole  reliance  on  one  mightier  than 
himself.  This  is  the  turning-point  in  this  strange  drama.  Ilencefoi'th 
Jacob  now  feels  himself  strong,  not  in  himself,  but  in  the  Lord,  and  in 


GEN.  XXXII.  413 

the  power  of  his  might.  "What  follows  is  merely  the  explication  and 
the  consequence  of  this  bodily  conflict. 

And  he,  the  Mighty  Stranger,  said,  Let  me  go,  for  the  daion  ariseth. 
The  time  for  other  avocations  is  come  :  let  me  go.  He  does  not  shake 
ott'  the  clinging  grasp  of  the  now  disabled  Jacob,  but  only  calls  upon 
him  to  relax  his  grasp.  And  he,  Jacob,  said,  I  will  not  let  thee  go  ex- 
cept thou  bless  me.  Despairing  now  of  his  own  strength,  he  is  Jacob 
still :  he  declares  his  determination  to  cling  on  until  his  conqueror  bless 
him.  He  now  knows  he  is  in  the  hand  of  a  higher  power,  who  can 
disable  and  again  enable,  who  can  curse  and  also  bless.  He  knows 
himself  also  to  be  now  utterly  helpless  without  the  healing,  quickening, 
protecting  power  of  his  victor,  and,  though  he  die  in  the  eiFort,  he  will 
not  let  him  go  without  receiving  this  blessing.  Jacob's  sense  of  his 
total  debility  and  utter  defeat  is  now  the  secret  of  his  power  with  his 
friendly  vanquisher.  He  can  overthrow  all  the  prowess  of  the  self- 
reliant,  but  he  cannot  resist  the  earnest  entreaty  of  the  helpless. 

28—30.  What  is  thy  name  ?  He  reminds  him  of  his  former  self,  Ja- 
cob, the  supplanter,  the  self-reliant,  self-seeking.  But  now  he  is  disa- 
bled, dependent  on  another,  and  seeking  a  blessing  from  another,  and 
for  all  others  as  well  as  himself.  No  more  Jacob  shall  thy  name  be 
called,  but  Israel,  —  a  prince  of  God,  in  God,  with  God.  In  a  per- 
sonal conflict,  depending  on  thyself,  thou  wert  no  match  for  God.  But 
in  prayer,  depending  on  another,  thou  hast  prevailed  with  God  and 
with  men.  The  new  name  is  indicative  of  the  new  nature  which  has 
now  come  to  its  perfection  of  development  in  Jacob.  Unlike  Abra- 
ham, who  received  his  new  name  once  for  all,  and  was  never  afterwards 
called  by  the  former  one,  Jacob  will  hence  be  called  now  by  the  one 
and  now  by  the  other,  as  the  occasion  may  serve.  For  he  was  called 
from  the  womb  (xxv.  23),  and  both  names  have  a  spiritual  significance 
for  two  different  aspects  of  the  child  of  God,  according  to  the  apostle's 
paradox,  "  Work  out  your  own  salvation  with  fear  and  trembling,  for  it 
is  God  that  worketh  in  you  both  to  will  and  to  do  of  his  good  pleasure  " 
(Phil.  ii.  12,  13).  Tell  noio  thy  name.  Disclose  to  me  thy  nature.  This 
mysterious  Being  intimates  by  his  reply  that  Jacob  was  to  learn  his 
nature,  so  far  as  he  yet  required  to  know  it,  from  the  event  that  had 
just  occurred  ;  and  he  was  well  acquainted  with  his  name.  And  he 
blessed  him  there.  He  had  the  power  of  disabling  the  self-sufficient 
creature,  of  upholding  that  creature  when  unable  to  stand,  of  answering 
prayer,  of  conferring  a  new  name,  with  a  new  phase  of  spiritual  life,  and 
of  blessing  with  a  bodily  renovation,  and  with  spiritual  capacity  for 


414  JACOB  WRESTLES  LN  PRAYER. 

being  a  blessing  to  mankind.  After  all  this,  Jacob  could  not  any  longer 
doubt  who  he  was.  Thei^e  are,  then,  three  acts  in  this  dramatic  scene : 
Jirst,  Jacob  wrestling  with  the  Omnipresent  in  the  form  of  a  man,  in 
which  he  is  signally  defeated  ;  second,  Jacob  importunately  supplicating 
Jehovah,  in  which  he  prevails  as  a  prince  of  God ;  tldrd,  Jacob  re- 
ceiving the  blessing  of  a  new  name,  a  new  development  of  spiritual  life, 
and  a  new  capacity  for  bodily  action. 

31-03.  Peniel,  —  the  face  of  God.  The  reason  of  this  name  is 
assigned  in  the  sentence,  /  have  seen  God  face  to  face.  lie  is  at  first 
called  a  man.  Hosea  terms  him  the  angel  (xii.  4,  5  (3,  4).  And 
here  Jacob  names  him  God.  Hence  some  men,  deeply  penetrated  with 
the  ineffable  grandeur  of  the  divine  nature,  are  disposed  to  resolve  the 
first  act  at  least  into  an  impression  on  the  imagination.  We  do  not 
pretend  to  define  with  undue  nicety  the  mode  of  this  wrestling.  And 
we  are  far  from  saying  that  every  sentence  of  Scripture  is  to  be  under- 
stood in  a  literal  sense.  But  until  some  cogent  reason  be  assigned,  we  do 
not  feel  at  liberty  to  depart  from  the  literal  sense  in  this  instance. 
The  whole  theory  of  a  revelation  from  God  to  man  is  founded  upon 
the  principle  that  God  can  adapt  himself  to  the  apprehension  of  the 
being  whom  he  has  made  in  his  own  image.  This  principle  we  accept, 
and  we  dare  not  limit  its  application  further  than  the  demonstrative 
laivs  of  reason  and  conscience  demand.  If  God  walk  in  the  garden 
with  Adam,  expostulate  with  Cain,  give  a  specification  of  the  ark  to 
Noah,  partake  of  the  hospitality  of  Abraham,  take  Lot  by  the  hand  to 
deliver  him  from  Sodom,  we  cannot  affirm  that  he  may  not,  for  a  wor- 
thy end,  enter  into  a  bodily  conflict  with  Jacob.  These  various  mani- 
festations of  God  to  man  differ  only  in  degree.  If  we  admit  any  one, 
we  are  bound  by  parity  of  reason  to  accept  all  the  others. 

We  have  also  already  noted  the  divine  method  of  dealing  with  man. 
He  proceeds  from  the  known  to  the  unknown,  from  the  simple  to  the 
complex,  from  the  material  to  the  spiritual,  from  the  sensible  to  the 
supcr-scnoiblc.  So  must  he  do,  until  he  have  to  deal  with  a  world  of 
philosophers.  And  even  then,  and  only  then,  will  his  method  of  teach- 
ing and  dealing  with  men  be  clearly  and  fully  understood.  The  more  Ave 
advance  in  the  philosophy  of  spii'itual  things,  the  more  delight  will  we 
feel  in  discerning  the  marvellous  analogy  and  intimate  nearness  of  the 
outward  to  the  inward,  and  the  material  to  the  spiritual  world.  We  have 
only  to  bear  in  mind  that  in  man  there  is  a  spirit  as  well  as  a  body  ; 
and  in  this  outward  wrestling  of  man  with  man  we  have  a  token  of 
the  inv.ard  wrestling  of  spirit  with  spirit,  and  therefore  an  experlmen- 


GEN.  XXXIII.  415 

tal  instance  of  that  great  conflict  of  the  Infinite  Being  with  the  finite 
self,  which  grace  has  introduced  into  our  fallen  world,  recorded  here 
for  the  spiritual  edification  of  the  church  on  earth. 

My  life  is  preserved.  The  feeling  of  conscience  is,  that  no  sinner 
can  see  the  infinitely  holy  God  and  live.  And  he  halted  iqjon  his  thigh. 
The  wrenching  of  the  tendons  and  muscles  was  mercifully  healed,  yet 
so  as  to  leave  a  permanent  monument,  in  Jacob's  halting  gait,  that  God 
had  overcome  bis  self-will. 


LXI.    JACOB  AND  ESAU  MEET.  —  Gen.  xxxiii. 

17.  n'sp  Sukkoth,  booths,  consisting  of  poles  forming  a  roof  covered 
with  branches,  leaves,  or  grass. 

19.  "li^n  Chamor,  ass,  red,  heap.  niJ-'bp  Qesitah,  weighed  or  meas- 
ured.    'A/xvos,  LXX.  and  Onk. 

XXXIII.  1.  And  Jacob  lifted  up  his  eyes,  and  looked,  and 
behold,  Esau  came,  and  with  him  four  hundred  men.  And 
he  divided  the  children  unto  Leah,  and  unto  Rachel,  and  unto 
the  two  handmaids.  2.  And  he  put  the  handmaids  an.d  tlicir 
children  foremost,  and  Leah  and  her  children  after,  and  Rachel 
and  Joseph  hindmost.  3.  And  he  passed  over  before  them, 
and  bowed  to  the  earth  seven  times,  until  he  came  near  to  his 
brother.  4.  And  Esau  ran  to  meet  him,  and  embraced  him, 
and  fell  on  his  neck  and  kissed  him  :  and  they  wept.  5.  And 
he  lifted  up  his  eyes  and  saw  the  women  and  the  children,  and 
he  said.  Who  are  these  of  thine  ?  And  he  said,  The  children 
whom  God  hath  granted  to  thy  servant.  6.  And  the  hand- 
maids came  near,  they  and  their  children,  and  they  bowed. 
7.  And  Leah  al.-o  came  near  and  her  children,  and  they  boAved  ; 
and  after  came  near  Joseph  and  Rachel,  and  they  bowed.  8. 
And  he  said,  What  is  all  this  horde  of  thine  which  I  met  ? 
And  he  said,  To  find  grace  in  the  eyes  of  my  lord.  9.  And 
Esau  said,  I  have  enough,  my  brother ;  be  that  to  thee  that  is 
thine.     10.  And  Jacob  said,  Nay,  now,  if  now  I  have  found 


416  JACOB  Am)  ESAU  MEET. 

grace  in  thine  eyes,  then  receive  my  present  from  my  hand ; 
for  therefore  have  I  seen  thy  face,  as  if  I  had  seen  the  face  of 
God,  and  thou  wast  pleased  with  me.  11.  'Take  now  my  bless- 
ing that  is  brought  to  thee,  because  (xod  has  favored  me  an-d  I 
have  all.  And  he  urged  him,  and  he  took  it.  12.  And  he 
said.  Let  us  set  out  and  go,  and  I  will  go  with  thee.  13.  And 
he  said  unto  him,  My  lord  knoweth  that  the  children  are  ten- 
der, and  the  flocks  and  herds  are  suckling  with  me,  and  they 
will  overdrive  them  one  day  and  all  the  flock  will  die.  14. 
Let  my  lord  now  pass  over  before  his  servant,  and  I  will  lead 
on  softly,  at  the  pace  of  the  cattle  that  are  before  me,  and  at 
the  pace  of  the  children,  until  I  come  unto  my  lord  unto  Seir. 
15.  And  Esau  said,  Let  me  now  leave  with  thee  of  the  men 
that  are  with  me.  And  he  said.  Wherefore  this  ?  Let  me  find 
grace  in  the  eyes  of  my  lord.  16.  And  Esau  returned  that 
day  on  his  way  to  Seir. 

17.  And  Jacob  journeyed  to  Sukkoth,  and  built  him  a  house : 
and  for  his  cattle  he  made  booths  ;  therefore  he  called  the 
name  of  the  place  Sukkoth.  §  37. 

18.  And  Jacob  went  in  peace  to  the  city  of  Shekem,  which 
is  in  the  land  of  Kenaan,  where  he  went  from  Padan-aram : 
and  he  pitched  before  the  city.  19.  And  he  bought  a  parcel 
of  the  field  where  he  had  spread  his  tent,  at  the  hand  of  the 
sons  of  Hamor,  the  father  of  Shekem,  for  a  hundred  kesitahs. 
20.  And  he  set  up  there  an  altar,  and  called  it  El-Elohe- 
Isracl.  §  38. 

Jacob  has  a  friendly  interview  with  Esau,  and  reenters  Kenaan. 

1-3.  Jacob,  on  seeing  Esau  approach  with  his  four  hundred  men, 
advances  with  circumspection  and  lowly  obeisance.  He  divided  his 
family,  arranged  them  according  to  their  preciousness  in  his  eyes,  and 
walks  himself  in  front.  In  drawing  near,  he  bows  seven  times,  in  to- 
ken of  complete  submission  to  his  elder  brother.  4-7.  Esau,  the  wild 
hunter,  is  completely  softened,  and  manifests  the  warmest  affection, 
which  is  reciprocated  by  Jacob.  The  pimcta  extraordinaria  over 
;in;i5T::i'si  (and  kissed  him),  seemingly  intimating  a  doubt  of  the  reading 


GEN.  xxxm.      '  417 

or  of  tlie  sincerity  of  Esau,  are  wholly  unwarranted.  Esau  then  ob- 
serves the  women  and  children,  and  inquires  who  they  are.  Jacob 
replies  that  God  had  granted,  graciously  bestowed  on  him,  these 
ciiildren.  They  approach  in  succession,  and  do  obeisance.  8-11.  Esau 
now  inquires  of  the  caravan  or  horde  he  had  already  met.  He  had 
heard  the  announcement  of  the  servants ;  but  he  awaited  the  confirma- 
tion of  the  master.  To  find  grace  in  the  eyes  of  my  lord.  Jacob  values 
highly  the  good-will  of  his  brother.  The  acceptance  of  this  present  is 
the  security  for  that  good-will,  and  for  all  the  safety  and  protection 
which  it  involved.  Esau  at  first  declines  the  gift,  but  on  being  urged 
by  Jacob  accepts  it,  and  thereby  relieves  Jacob  of  all  his  anxiety.  His 
brother  is  now  his  friend  indeed.  Therefore  have  I  seen  thy  face,  that 
I  might  give  thee  this  token  of  my  affection.  As  if  I  had  seen  the  face 
of  God.  The  unexpected  kindness  with  which  his  brother  had  re- 
ceived him  was  a  type  and  proof  of  the  kindness  of  the  All-provident, 
by  whom  it  had  been  added  to  all  his  other  mercies.  3fy  blessing  ;  my 
gift  which  embodies  my  good  wishes.  I  have  all;  not  only  enough,  but 
all  that  I  can  wish. 

12-1 G.  They  now  part  for  the  present.  I  will  go  with  thee  ;  as  wt 
escort  or  vanguard.  Jacob  explains  that  this  would  be  inconvenient 
for  both  parties,  as  his  tender  children  and  suckUng  cattle  could  not 
keep  pace  with  Esau's  men,  who  were  used  to  the  road.  At  the  pace 
of  the  cattle  ;  as  fast  as  the  business  (n:xb-a)  of  travelling  with  cattle 
will  permit.  Unto  Seir.  Jacob  is  travelling  to  the  land  of  Kenaan, 
and  to  the  residence  of  his  father.  But,  on  amving  there,  it  will  be 
his  first  duty  to  return  the  fraternal  visit  of  Esau.  The  very  circum- 
stance that  he  sent  messengers  to  apprise  his  brother  of  his  arrival,, 
implies  that  he  was  prepared  to  cultivate  friendly  relations  with  him. 
Jacob  also  declines  the  offer  of  some  of  the  men  that  Esau  had  with, 
him.  He  had,  doubtless,  enough  of  hands  to  manage  his  remaining 
fiock,  and  he  now  relied  more  than  ever  on  the  protection  of  that  God. 
who  had  ever  proved  himself  a  faithful  and  effectual  guardian. 

17.  Suhhoth  was  south  of  the  Jabbok,  and  east  of  the  Jordan,  as  we 
learn  from  Judges  viii.  4-9.  From  the  same  passage  it  appears  to. 
have  been  nearer  the  Jordan  than  Penuel,  which  was  at  the  ford  of 
Jabbok.  Sukkoth  cannot  therefore  be  identified  with  Sakut,  which. 
Robinson  finds  on  the  other  side  of  the  Jordan,  about  ten  miles  north, 
of  the  mouth  of  the  Jabbok.  And  built  him  a  house.  This  indicates 
a  permanent  residence.  Booths,  or  folds,  composed  of  upright  stakes 
wattled  together,  and  sheltered  with  leafy  branches.  The  closed  spacfr 
53 


418 


JACOB  AND  ESAU  MEET. 


in  the  text  is  properly  introduced  here,  to  indicate  the  pause  in  the 
narrative,  while  Jacob  sojourned  in  this  place.  Dinah,  who  is  not 
noticed  on  the  journey,  was  now  not  more  than  six  years  of  age.  Six 
or  seven  years  more,  therefore,  must  have  elapsed  before  the  melan- 
choly events  of  the  next  chapter  took  place.  In  the  interval,  Jacob 
may  have  visited  his  father,  and  even  returned  the  visit  of  Esau. 

18-20.  Jacob  at  length  crosses  the  Jordan,  and  enters  again  the  land 
of  Kenaan.  In  peace.  The  original  word  (cVd  safe,  in  peace)  is 
rendered  Shalem,  the  name  of  the  town  at  which  Jacob  arrived,  by  the 
Septuagint,  The  rendering  safe,  or  in  -peace,  is  here  adopted,  because 
(1)  the  word  is  to  be  taken  as  a  common  noun  or  adjective,  unless 
there  be  a  clear  necessity  for  a  proper  name ;  (2)  the  place  was  called 
Shekem  in  the  time  of  Abraham  (xii.  G),and  the  town  is  so  designated 
in  the  thirty-fifth  chapter  (v.  4)  ;  and  (3)  the  statement  that  Jacob 
arrived  in  safety  accounts  for  the  additional  clauses,  "  which  is  in  the 
land  of  Kenaan,"  and  "  when  he  went  from  Padan-aram,"  and  is  in 
accordance  with  the  promise  (xxviii.  21)  that  he  would  return  in  peace. 
If,  however,  the  Salim  found  by  Robinson  to  the  west  of  Nablous  be 
the  present  town,  it  must  be  called  the  city  of  Shekem,  because  it  be- 
longed to  the  Shekem  mentioned  in  the  following  verse  and  chapter. 
Pitched  before  the  city.  Jacob  did  not  enter  into  the  city,  because  his  tlocks 
and  herds  could  not  find  accommodation  there,  and  he  did  not  want  to 
come  into  close  contact  with  the  inhabitants.  He  bought  a  parcel  of  the 
field.  lie  is  anxious  to  have  a  place  he  may  call  his  own,  where  he 
may  have  a  permanent  resting-place.  For  a  hundred  hesitahs.  The 
kesitah  may  have  been  a  piece  of  silver  or  gold,  of  a  certain  weight, 
equal  in  value  to  a  lamb  (see  Gesenius).  El- Elohe- Israel.  Jacob 
consecrates  his  ground  by  the  erection  of  an  altar.  He  calls  it  the 
altar  of  the  Mighty  One,  the  God  of  Israel,  in  which  he  signalizes  the 
omnipotence  of  him  who  had  brought  him  in  safety  to  the  land  of 
promise  through  many  perils,  the  new  name  by  which  he  himself  had 
been  lately  designated,  and  the  blessed  communion  which  now  existed 
between  the  Almighty  and  himself.  This  was  the  very  spot  where 
Abraham,  about  one  hundred  and  eighty-five  yeai's  ago,  built  the  first 
altar  he  erected  in  the  promised  land  (xii.  6,  7).  It  is  now  consecra- 
ted anew  to  tlie  God  of  promise- 


GEN.  XXXIV.  419 


LXII.    DINAH'S  DISHONOR.  —  Gen.  xxxiv. 

XXXIV.  1.  Then  went  out  Dinah,  the  daughter  of  Leah, 
whom  she  bare  unto  Jacob,  to  see  the  daughters  of  the  land. 

2.  And  Shekem,  son  of  Hamor  the  Hivitc,  prince  of  the  land, 
saw  her ;  and  he  took  her,  and  lay  with  her,  and  humbled  her. 

3.  And  his  soul  clave  unto  Dinah,  daughter  of  Jacob  ;  and  ho 
loved  the  damsel,  and  spake  to  the  heart  of  the  damsel.  4. 
And  Shekem  said  unto  Hamor  his  father,  saying.  Get  me  this 
damsel  to  wife.  5.  And  Jacob  heard  that  he  had  defiled  Di- 
nali  liis  daughter :  and  his  sons  were  with  his  cattle  in  the 
field  :  and  Jacob  held  his  peace  until  they  were  come. 

G.  And  Hamor,  the  father  of  Shekem,  came  out  unto  Jacob 
to  speak  with  him.  7.  And  the  sons  of  Jacob  came  from  the 
field  when  they  heard  it :  and  the  men  were  grieved,  and  were 
very  wroth,  because  he  had  wrought  folly  in  Israel,  to  lie  with 
the  daughter  of  Jacob  ;  Avhich  ought  not  to  be  done.  8.  And 
Hamor  spake  with  them,  saying,  Shekem,  my  son,  his  soul 
clhigeth  to  your  daughter ;  give  her  now  to  him  to  wife.  9. 
And  intermarry  ye  with  us;  your  daughters  give  unto  us, 
and  our  daughters  take  unto  you.  10.  And  ye  shall  dwell 
with  us :  and  the  land  shall  be  before  you ;  dwell  and  trade 
therein,  and  get  possessions  therein.  11.  And  Shekem  said 
unto  her  father  and  unto  her  brethren.  Let  me  find  grace  in 
your  eyes,  and  what  ye  shall  say  unto  me  I  will  give.  12. 
Multiply  upon  me  much  dowry  and  gift,  and  I  will  give  ac- 
cording as  ye  shall  say  unto  me :  and  give  me  the  damsel  to 
wife.  lo.  And  the  sons  of  Jacob  answered  Shekem  and  Ha- 
mor his  father  with  deceit,  and  spake :  because  he  had  defiled 
Dinah  their  sister.  14.  And  they  said  unto  them,  We  cannot 
do  this  thing,  to  give  our  sister  to  a  man  that  hath  a  foreskin ; 
for  that  were  a  reproach  unto  us.  15.  Only  in  this  will  we 
consent  unto  you,  if  ye  will  be  as  we,  to  be  circumcised  every 
male  of  you.     16.  Then  will  we  give  our  daughters  unto  you, 


420  DINAH'S  DISHONOE. 

and  we  will  take  your  daugliters  to  us ;  and  we  will  dwell 
with  you,  and  become  one  people.  17.  And  if  ye  will  not 
hearken  unto  us  to  be  circumcised,  then  will  we  take  our 
daughter  and  be  gone. 

18.  And  their  words  were  good  in  the  eyes  of  Hamor,  and 
of  Shekem,  Hamor's  son.  19.  And  the  young  man  delayed 
not  to  do  tlie  thing,  because  he  delighted  in  the  daughter  of 
Jacob :  and  he  was  more  honorable  than  all  the  house  of  his 
father.  20.  Then  went  Hamor  and  Shekem  his  son  unto  the 
gate  of  their  city,  and  spake  to  the  men  of  their  city,  saying, 
21.  These  men  are  peaceable  with  us :  and  let  them  dwell  in 
the  land,  and  trade  therein ;  and  the  land,  behold,  is  wide 
enough  before  them :  their  daughters  let  us  take  to  us  for 
wives,  and  our  daughters  let  us  give  to  them.  22.  Only  herein 
will  the  men  consent  to  us  to  dwell  with  us,  to  become  one 
people,  if  every  male  of  us  be  circumcised,  as  they  are  circum- 
cised. 23.  Their  jQocks,  their  property,  all  their  cattle,  sliall 
they  not  be  ours  ?  Only  let  us  consent  unto  them,  and  they 
will  dwell  with  us.  24.  Then  hearkened  unto  Hamor  and 
unto  Shekem  his  son  all  that  came  out  of  the  gate  of  his  city  : 
and  every  male  was  circumcised ;  all  that  came  out  of  the  gate 
of  his  city. 

25.  And  it  came  to  pass  on  the  third  day,  when  they  were 
sore,  that  two  of  Jacob's  sons,  Simon  and  Levi,  Dinah's  breth- 
ren, took  each  man  his  sword,  and  went  unto  the  city  boldly, 
and  slew  every  male.  26.  And  Hamor  and  Shekem  his  son 
they  slew  with  the  edge  of  the  sword,  and  took  Dinah  out  of 
Shekem's  house,  and  came  out.  27.  The  sons  of  Jacob  went 
upon  the  slain,  and  spoiled  the  city,  because  they  had  defiled 
their  sister.  28.  Their  sheep  and  their  oxen  and  their  asses 
and  that  which  was  in  the  city  and  that  which  was  in  the  field 
they  took.  29.  And  all  their  wealth  and  all  their  little  ones 
and  their  wives  took  they  captive  and  spoiled,  and  all  that 
was  in  the  house.  30.  And  Jacob  said  to  Simon  and  to  Levi, 
Yo  have  troubled  mc,  to  make  me  stink  to  the  inhabitant  of 


GEN.  XXXIV.  421 

the  land,  the  Kenaanite  and  the  Perizzite  :  and  I  am  a  few- 
men,  and  they  will  gather  against  me  and  smite  me,  and  I 
shall  be  destroyed,  I  and  my  house.  31.  And  they  said, 
Should  he  deal  with  our  sister  as  with  a  harlot  ?         1  29. 

This  chapter  records  the  rape  of  Dinah  and  the  revenge  of  her 
brothers. 

1-5.  Dinah  went  out  to  see  the  daughters  of  the  land.  The  Jew- 
ish doctors  of  a  later  period  fix  the  marriageable  age  of  a  female  at 
twelve  years  and  a  day.  It  is  probable  that  Dinah  was  in  her  thir- 
teenth year  when  she  went  out  to  visit  the  daughters  of  the  land.  Six 
or  seven  years,  therefore,  must  have  been  spent  by  Jacob  between 
Sukkoth,  where  he  abode  some  time,  and  the  neigliborhood  of  Shekem, 
where  he  had  purchased  a  piece  of  ground.  If  we  suppose  Dinah  to 
have  been  born  in  the  same  year  with  Joseph,  who  was  in  his  seven- 
teenth year  at  the  time  of  his  being  sold  as  a  bondslave  (xxxvii.  2),  the 
events  of  this  chapter  must  have  occurred  in  the  interval  between  the 
completion  of  her  twelfth  and  that  of  her  sixteenth  year.  Shekem. 
This  name  is  hereditary  in  the  family,  and  had  taken  hold  in  the  lo- 
cality before  the  time  of  Abraham.  The  Hivite  was  a  descendant  of 
Kenaan.  We  find  this  tribe  now  occupying  the  district  where  the 
Kenaanite  was  in  possession  at  a  former  period  (xii.  6).  3.  Spake  to 
the  heart  of  the  datnsel.  After  having  robbed  her  of  her  honor,  he 
promises  to  recognize  her  as  his  wife,  provided  he  can  gain  the  consent 
of  her  relatives.  Shelcem  spake  unto  his  father  Hamor.  He  is  in  ear- 
nest about  this  matter.  Jacob  held  his  peace.  He  was  a  stranger  in 
the  land,  and  surrounded  by  a  flourishing  tribe,  who  were  evidently 
unscrupulous  in  their  conduct. 

6-17.  A  conference  takes  place  between  the  parties.  Hamor  and 
Jacob,  the  parents  on  both  sides,  are  the  principals  in  the  negotiation. 
7.  The  sons  of  Jacob,  being  brothers  of  the  injured  damsel,  are  present, 
according  to  custom.  Wrought  fully  in  Israel ;  a  standing  phrase  from 
this  time  forward  for  any  deed  that  was  contrary  to  the  sanctity  which 
ought  to  characterize  God's  holy  people.  Israel  is  here  used  to  desig- 
nate the  descendants  of  Israel,  the  peculiar  people.  8-10.  Hamor 
makes  his  proposal.  Shekem,  my  son.  These  words  are  a  nominative 
pendent,  for  which  "  his  soul "  is  substituted.  He  proposes  a  political 
alliance  or  amalgamation  of  the  two  tribes,  to  be  sealed  and  actually 
effected  by  intermarriage.  He  offers  to  make  them  joint-possessors  of 
the  soil,  and  of  the  rights  of  dwelling,  trading,  and  acquii'ing  property. 


422  DINAH'S  DISHONOE. 

11,  12.  Shekem  now  speaks  with  becoming  deference  and  earnestness. 
He  offers  any  amount  of  dowry,  or  bridal  presents,  and  of  gift  to  the 
mother  and  brothers  of  the  bride.  It  must  be  acknowledged  that  the 
father  and  the  son  were  disposed  to  make  whatever  amends  they  could 
for  the  grievous  offence  that  had  been  committed.  13-17.  The  sons 
of  Jacob  answer  with  deceit.  They  are  burning  with  resentment  of 
the  wrong  that  "  ought  not  to  have  been  done,"  and  that  cannot  now  be 
fully  repaired.  Yet  they  are  in  presence  of  a  superior  force,  and 
therefore  resort  to  deceit.  And  spake.  This  goes  along  with  the  pre- 
vious verb  "  answered,"  and  is  meant  to  have  the  same  qualification 
"  with  deceit."  The  last  clause  of  the  verse  then  assigns  the  cause  of 
this  deceitful  dealing.  14-17.  Their  speech,  for  the  matter  of  it,  is  rea- 
sonable. They  cannot  intermarry  with  the  uncircumcised.  Only  on  con- 
dition that  every  male  be  circumcised  will  they  consent.  On  these  terms 
they  promise  to  "  become  one  people  "  with  them.  Otherwise  they  take 
their  daughter,  and  depart.  Our  daughter.  They  here  speak  as  a 
family  or  race,  and  therefore  call  Dinah  their  daughter,  though  her 
brothers  are  the  speakers. 

18-24.  Hamor  and  Shekem  accept  the  terms,  and  forthwith  proceed 
to  carry  them  into  effect.  It  is  testified  of  Shekem,  that  he  delayed 
not  to  do  the  thing,  and  that  he  was  more  honorable  than  all  his  house. 
20-23.  They  bring  the  matter  before  their  fellow-citizens,  and  urge 
them  to  adopt  the  rite  of  circumcision,  on  the  ground  that  the  men  are 
peaceable,  well-conducted,  and  they  and  their  cattle  and  goods  would 
be  a  valuable  addition  to  the  common  wealth  of  their  tribe.  Hence  it 
appears  that  the  population  was  still  thin,  that  the  neighboring  territory 
was  sufficient  for  a  much  larger  number  than  its  present  occupants,  and 
that  a  tribe  found  a  real  benefit  in  an  accession  to  his  numbers.  24. 
The  people  were  persuaded  to  comply  with  the  terms  proposed.  There 
is  nothing  said  here  of  the  religious  import  of  the  rite,  or  of  any  diver- 
sity of  worship  that  may  have  existed  between  the  two  parties.  But 
it  is  not  improbable  that  the  Shekemites  were  prepared  for  mutual 
toleration,  or  even  for  the  adoption  of  the  religion  of  Israel  in  its 
external  forms,  though  not  perhaps  to  the  exclusion  of  their  own  he- 
reditary customs.  It  is  also  possible  that  the  formal  acknowledgment 
of  the  one  true  God  was  not  yet  extinct.  Circumcision  has  been  in 
use  among  the  Egyptians,  Colchians  (Herod,  ii,  104),  and  other  east- 
ern nations ;  but  when  and  how  introduced  we  are  not  informed.  The 
present  narrative  points  out  one  way  in  which  it  may  have  spread  from 
nation  to  nation. 


GEN.  XXXV.  423 

25-31.  Simon  and  Levi,  at  the  head  no  doubt  of  all  their  father's 
men,  now  fall  upon  the  Shekemites,  when  feverish  with  the  circum- 
cision, and  put  them  to  the  sword.  Simon  and  Levi  were  the  sons  of 
Leah,  and  therefore  full  brothers  of  Dinah.  If  Dinah  was  of  the 
same  year  as  Joseph,  they  would  be  respectively  seven  and  six  years 
older  than  she  was.  If  she  was  in  her  thirteenth  year,  they  would 
therefore  be  respectively  in  their  twentieth  and  nineteenth  years,  and 
therefore  fitted  by  age  and  passion  for  such  an  enterprise.  27-29.  All 
the  sons  of  Jacob  joined  in  the  sacking  of  the  city.  They  seized  all 
their  cattle  and  goods,  and  made  captives  of  their  wives  and  little  ones. 

30.  Jacob  is  greatly  distressed  by  this  outrage,  which  is  equally  con- 
trary to  his  policy  and  his  humanity.  He  sets  before  his  sons,  in  this 
expostulation,  the  danger  attendant  upon  such  a  proceeding.  The 
Kenaanite  and  the  Pcrizzite,  whom  Abraham  found  in  the  land  on  his 
return  from  Egypt  (xiii.  7).  I  am  a  few  men,  — men  of  number  that 
might  easily  be  counted.  /  here  denotes  the  family  or  tribe  with  all 
its  dependents.     When  expanded,  therefore,  it  is,  "  I  and  my  house." 

31.  Simon  and  Levi  have  their  reply.  It  justifies  the  retribution  which 
has  fallen  on  the  Shekemites  for  this  and  all  their  other  crimes.  But 
it  does  not  justify  the  executioners  for  taking  the  law  into  their  own 
hands,  or  proceeding  by  fraud  and  indiscriminate  slaughter.  The  em- 
ployment of  cu'cumcision,  too,  which  was  the  sign  of  the  covenant  of 
grace,  as  a  means  of  deception,  was  a  heinous  aggravation  of  their 
offence. 


LXIII.    DEATH  OF  ISAAC.  —  Gen.  xxxv. 

8.  iTnh'n  Deborah,  hee.     nw2  'ibx  Allon-bakutb,  oah  of  weeping. 
16.  1^:^33  length,  stretch.    A  certain  but  unknown  distance,  a  stadium 
or  furlong  (Jos.)  a  hippodrome   (Sept.)  which  was  somewhat  longer, 
a  mile  (Kimchi).     iri^SX  l^j^hvsiih,  fruitful  ov  ashy. 

18.  •^3iK"'|5  Ben-oni,  son  of  my  pain.     'J'^o^ia  Binjamin,  son  of  the 
right  hand. 

19.  cn^  TT^'Si  Beth-lechem,  house  of  bread. 
21.  ^-^2 'Eder,  flock,  fold. 

XXXV.     1.  And  God  said  unto  Jacob,  Arise,  go  up  to 
Bethel,  and   dwell  there  :  and  make  there  an  altar  to  the  God 


424  DEATH  OF  ISAAC. 

that  appeared  unto  thee  when  thou  fleddest  from  the  face  of 
Esau  thy  brother.  2.  Then  said  Jacob  unto  his  house,  and  to 
all  that  were  with  him,  Put  away  the  strange  gods  that  are 
among  you,  and  be  clean,  and  change  your  garments.  3.  And 
let  us  arise  and  go  up  to  Bethel ;  and  I  will  there  make  an 
altar  to  the  God  who  answered  me  in  the  day  of  my  distress, 
and  was  with  me  in  the  way  that  I  went.  4.  And  they  gave 
unto  Jacob  all  the  strange  gods  that  were  in  their  hand,  and 
the  rings  that  were  in  their  ears  ;  and  Jacob  hid  tliem  under 
the  oak  which  was  by  Shekem.  5.  And  they  set  out :  and  the 
terror  of  God  was  upon  the  cities  that  were  round  about  them, 
and  they  did  not  pursue  after  the  sons  of  Jacob.  6.  And  Jacob 
went  to  Luz,  which  is  in  the  land  of  Kenaan,  that  is,  Bethel, 
he  and  all  the  people  that  were  with  him.  7.  And  he  built 
there  an  altar,  and  called  the  place  El-betli-ei ;  because  there 
God  revealed  himself  unto  him,  when  he  fled  from  the  face  of 
his  brother.  8.  And  Deborah,  Rebekah's  nurse,  died,  and  was 
buried  beneath  Betliel,  under  the  oak  ;  and  the  name  of  it  was 
called  AUon-bakuth.  IF  30. 

9.  And  God  appeared  unto  Jacob  again,  when  he  went  out 
of  Padan-aram,  and  blessed  him.  10.  And  God  said  unto 
him,  Thy  name  is  Jacob :  thy  name  shall  not  be  called  any 
more  Jacob,  but  Israel  shall  be  thy  name.  And  he  called  his 
name  Israel.  11.  And  God  said  unto  him,  I  am  God  Almighty  ; 
be  fruitful  and  multiply ;  a  nation  and  a  congregation  of  na- 
tions shall  be  of  thee,  and  kings  shall  come  out  of  thy  loins. 

12.  And  the  land  which  I  gave  Abraham  and  Isaac,  to  thee 
will  I  give  it ;  and  to  thy  seed  after  thee  will  I  give  the  land. 

13.  And  God  went  up  from  him,  in  the  place  where  he  talked 
with  him.  14.  And  Jacob  set  up  a  pillar  in  the  place  where 
he  talked  with  him,  a  pillar  of  stone:  and  he  poured  thereon 
a  drink  offering,  and  poured  thereon  oil.  15.  And  Jacob  called 
the  name  of  the  place  where  God  spake  with  him,  Bctli-eL 

16.  And  they  set  out  from  Beth-cl ;  and  there  was  yet  a 
stretch  of  the  land  to  go  into  Ephrath ;  and  Rachel  travailed 


GEN.  XXXV.  425 

and  had  hard  labor.  17.  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  she  was  in 
hard  labor,  that  the  midwife  said  unto  her,  Fear  not,  for  this 
is  also  to  thee  a  son.  18.  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  her  soul  was 
departing  when  she  died,  that  she  called  his  name  Ben-oni ; 
and  his  father  called  him  Benjamin.  19.  And  Rachel  died, 
and  was  buried  in  the  way  to  Ephrath,  which  is  Beth-lehem. 
20.  And  Jacob  set  a  pillar  upon  her  grave  ;  that  is  the  pillar 
of  Rachel's  grave  unto  this  day.  21.  And  Israel  set  out  and 
spread  his  tent  beyond  the  tower  of  Eder.  22.  And  it  came  to 
pass,  when  Israel  dwelt  in  the  land,  that  Reuben  went  and  lay 
with  Bilhah  his  father's  concubine  :  and  Israel  heard  it,  H  31. 
And  the  sons  of  Jacob  were  twelve.  23.  The  sons  of  Leah  : 
Jacob's  first-born,  Reuben,  and  Simon  and  Levi  and  Judah 
and  Issakar  and  Zebulun.  24.  The  sons  of  Rachel :  Joseph 
and  Benjamin.  25.  And  the  sons  of  Bilhah,  Rachel's  hand- 
maid :  Dan  and  Naphtali.  26.  And  the  sons  of  Zilpah,  Leah's 
handmaid  :  Gad  and  Aslier :  these  are  the  sons  of  Jacob,  who 
were  born  to  liim  in  Padan-aram.  27.  And  Jacob  went  unto 
Isaac  his  father  to  Mamre,  the  city  of  Arba,  which  is  Hebron, 
where  Abraham  and  Isaac  sojourned.  28.  And  the  days  of 
Isaac  were  a  hundred  and  eighty  years.  29.  And  Isaac  expired, 
and  died,  and  was  gathered  unto  his  peoples,  old  and  full  of 
days  :  and  Esau  and  Jacob  his  sons  buried  him.  IT  32. 

This  chapter  contains  the  return  of  Jacob  to  his  father's  house,  and 
then  appends  the  death  of  Isaac. 

1-8.  Jacob  returns  to  Bethel.  A7id  God  said  unto  Jacob.  He  re- 
ceives the  direction  from  God.  He  had  now  been  sis  years  lingering 
in  Sukkoth  and  Shekem.  There  may  have  been  some  inlei-course 
between  him  and  his  father's  house  during  this  interval.  The  presence 
of  Deborah,  Kebekah's  nurse,  in  his  family,  is  a  plain  intimation  of 
this.  But  Jacob  seems  to  have  turned  aside  to  Shekem,  either  to  visit 
the  spot  where  Abraham  first  erected  an  altar  to  the  Lord,  or  to  seek 
pasture  for  his  numerous  flocks.  Arise,  go  up  to  Bethel,  and  dwell 
there.  In  his  perplexity  and  terror  the  Lord  comes  to  his  aid.  He 
reminds  him  of  his  former  appearance  to  him  at  that  pLace,  and  directs 
him  to  erect  an  altar  there.  This  was  Abraham's  second  resting-place 
54 


426  DEATH  OF  ISAAC. 

in  the  land.  He  wlio  had  there  appeared  to  Jacob  as  the  Jehovah,  the 
God  of  Abraham  and  Isaac,  is  now  described  as  El,  the  Mighty  One, 
probably  in  allusion  to  Bethel  (house  of  El),  which  contains  this  name, 
and  was  at  that  time  applied  by  Jacob  himself  to  the  place.  2,  3.  His 
house  ;  his  wives  and  children.  All  that  were  with  him  ;  his  men-ser- 
vants and  maid-servants.  The  strange  gods,  belonging  to  the  stranger  or 
the  strange  land.  These  include  the  teraphim,  which  Rachel  had  secreted, 
and  the  rings  which  were  worn  as  amulets  or  charms.  Be  clean  ;  cleanse 
the  body,  in  token  of  the  cleaning  of  your  souls.  Change  your  gar- 
ments ;  put  on  your  best  attire,  befitting  the  holy  occasion.  The  God, 
in  contradistinction  to  the  strange  gods  already  mentioned.  4.  Hid 
them  ;  buried  them.  The  oak  which  was  hy  Shehem.  This  may  have 
been  the  oak  of  Moreh,  under  which  Abraham  pitched  his  tent  (xii. 
G).  5-7.  The  terror  of  God;  a  dread  awakened  in  their  breast  by  some 
indication  of  the  divine  presence  being  with  Jacob.  The  patriarch 
seems  to  have  retamed  possession  of  the  land  he  had  purchased  and 
gained  by  conquest,  in  this  place.  His  flocks  are  found  there  very 
shortly  after  this  time  (xxxvii.  12),  he  alludes  to  it,  and  disposes  of  it 
in  his  interview  with  Joseph  and  his  sons  (xlviii.  22),  and  his  well  is 
there  to  this  day.  Luz,  which  is  in  the  land  of  Kenaan.  This  seems 
at  first  sight  to  intimate  that  there  was  a  Luz  elsewhere,  and  to  have 
been  added  by  the  revising  prophet  to  determine  the  place  here  intended. 
Luz  means  an  almond  tree,  and  may  have  designated  many  a  place. 
But  the  reader  of  Genesis  could  have  needed  no  such  intimation,  as 
Jacob  is  clearly  in  the  land  of  Kenaan,  going  from  Shekem  to  Hebron. 
It  seems  rather  to  call  attention  again  (xxxiii.  18)  to  the  fact  that 
Jacob  has  returned  from  Padan-aram  to  the  land  of  promise.  The 
name  Luz  still  recurs,  as  the  almond  tree  may  still  be  flourishing.  And 
he  built  there  an  altar,  and  called  the  place  El-heth-el.  Thus  has  Jacob 
obeyed  the  command  of  God,  and  begun  the  payment  of  the  vow  he 
made  twenty-six  years  before  at  this  place  (xxviii.  20-22).  There 
God  revealed  himself  unto  him.  The  verb  here  ^^5i  is  plural  in  the 
Masoretic  Hebrew,  and  so  it  was  in  the  copy  of  Onkelos.  The  Sam. 
and  the  Sept.  have  the  singular.  The  reading  is  therefore  various. 
The  original  was  probably  singular,  and  may  have  been  so  even  with 
its  present  letters.  If  not,  this  is  one  of  the  few  instances  in  which 
Elohim  is  construed  grammatically  with  a  plural  verb.  8.  Deborah 
dies  in  the  family  in  which  she  began  life.  She  is  buried  under  "  the 
well-known  oak"  at  Bethel.  Jacob  drops  a  natural  tear  of  sorrow 
over  the  grave  of  this  faithful  servant,  and  hence  the  oak  is  called  the 


GEN.  XXXV.  427 

oah  of  loeeping.  It  is  probable  that  Rebekab  was  already  dead,  since 
otherwise  we  should  not  expect  to  find  Deborah  transferred  to  Jacob's 
household.  She  may  not  have  lived  to  see  her  favorite  son  on  his 
return. 

9-15.  God  appears  to  Jacob  again  at  Bethel,  and  renews  the  prom- 
ise made  to  him  there  (xxviii.  13,  14).  Again.  The  writer  here 
refers  to  the  former  meeting  of  God  with  Jacob  at  Bethel,  and  thereby 
proves  himself  cognizant  of  the  fact,  and  of  the  record  already  made 
of  it.  Whe7i  he  went  out  of  Padan-aram.  This  corroborates  the 
explanation  of  the  clause,  v.  6,  "which  is  in  the  land  of  Kenaan." 
Bethel  was  the  last  point  in  this  land  that  was  noticed  in  his  flight  from 
Esau.  His  arrival  at  the  same  point  indicates  that  he  has  now  returned 
from  Padan-aram  to  the  land  of  Kenaan.  He  called  his  name  Israel. 
At  Bethel  he  renews  the  change  of  name,  to  indicate  that  the  meetings 
here  were  of  equal  moment  in  Jacob's  spiritual  life  with  that  at  Pen- 
uel.  It  implies  also  that  this  life  had  been  declining  in  the  interval 
between  Penuel  and  Bethel,  and  had  now  been  revived  by  the  call  of 
God  to  go  to  Bethel,  and  by  the  interview.  The  renewal  of  the  nam- 
ing aptly  expresses  this  renewal  of  spiritual  life.  11,  12.  /  am  God 
Almighty.  So  he  proclaimed  himself  before  to  Abraham  (xvii.  1). 
Be  fruitfid,  and  multiply.  Abraham  and  Isaac  had  each  only  one  son 
of  promise.  But  now  the  time  of  increase  is  come.  Jacob  has  been 
blessed  with  eleven  sons,  and  at  least  one  daughter.  And  now  he 
receives  the  long-promised  blessing,  "  be  fruitful  and  multiply."  From 
this  time  forth  the  multiplication  of  Israel  is  rapid.  In  twenty-six 
years  after  this  time  he  goes  down  into  Egypt  with  seventy  souls, 
besides  the  wives  of  his  married  descendants,  and  two  hundred  and  ten 
years  after  that  Israel  goes  out  of  Egypt  numbering  about  one  million 
eight  hundred  thousand.  A  nation  and  a  congregation  of  nations, 
such  as  were  then  known  in  the  world,  had  at  the  last  date  come  of 
him,  and  "  kings  "  were  to  follow  in  due  time.  The  land,  as  well  as 
the  seed,  is  again  jiromised.  13-15.  Jacob  now,  according  to  his  wont, 
perpetuates  the  scene  of  divine  manifestation  with  a  monumental  stone. 
God  went  up  ;  as  he  went  up  from  Abraham  (xvii.  22)  after  a  similar 
conference  with  him.  He  had  now  spoken  to  Jacob  face  to  face,  as  he 
communed  with  Abraham.  A  pillar  in  the  place  where  he  talked 
with  him,  a  consecrated  monument  of  this  second  interview,  not  in  a 
dream  as  before,  but  in  a  waking  vision.  On  this  he  pours  a  drink- 
offering  of  wine,  and  then  anoints  it  with  oil.  Here,  for  the  first  time, 
we  meet  with  the  libation.     It  is  possible  there  was  such  an  offering 


428  DEATH  OF  ISAAC. 

when  Melkizedec  brought  forth  bread  and  wine,  though  it  is  not 
recorded.  The  drink-ofFering  is  the  complement  of  the  meat-offering, 
and  both  are  accompaniments  of  the  sacrifice  which  is  offered  on 
the  altar.  They  are  in  themselves  expressive  of  gratitude  and  devo- 
tion. Wine  and  oil  are  used  to  denote  the  quickening  and  sanctifying 
power  of  the  Spirit  of  God.  Bethel.  We  are  now  familiar  with  the 
repetition  of  the  naming  of  persons  and  places.  This  place  was 
already  called  Bethel  by  Jacob  himself;  it  is  most  likely  that  Abraham 
applied  this  name  to  it :  and  for  aught  we  know,  some  servant  of  the 
true  God,  under  the  Noachic  covenant,  may  have  originated  the  name. 

16— 22a.  On  the  journey,  Rachel  dies  at  the  birth  of  her  second 
son.  A  stretch.  It  was  probably  a  few  furlongs.  17.  Fear  not.  The 
cause  for  encouragement  was  that  the  child  was  born,  and  that  it  was  a 
son.  Rachel's  desire  and  hope  expressed  at  the  birth  of  Joseph  were 
therefore  fulfilled  (xxx.  21).  18.  When  her  soul  was  departing.  This 
phrase  expresses  not  annihilation,  but  merely  change  of  place.  It  pre- 
supposes the  perpetual  existence  of  the  soul.  Ben-oni,  son  of  my  pain, 
is  the  natural  expression  of  the  departing  Rachel.  Benjamin.  The 
right  hand  is  the  seat  of  power.  The  son  of  the  right  hand  is  there- 
fore the  child  of  power.  He  gave  power  to  his  father,  as  he  was  his 
twelfth  son,  and  so  completed  the  number  of  the  holy  family.  19,  20. 
Ephrath  and  Beth-lehem  are  names  the  origin  of  which  is  not  recorded. 
Tlie  pillar  of  EacheVs  grave.  Jacob  loves  the  monumental  stone. 
Unto  this  day.  This  might  have  been  written  ten  or  twenty  years 
after  the  event,  and  therefore  before  Jacob  left  Kenaan  (see  on  xix. 
37).  The  grave  of  Rachel  was  well  known  in  the  time  of  Samuel 
(1  Sam.  X.  2),  and  the  Kubbet  Rahil,  dome  or  tomb  of  Rachel,  stands 
perhaps  on  the  identical  spot,  about  an  English  mile  north  of  Beth- 
lehem. 

21,  22.  Eder.  The  tower  of  the  flock  was  probably  a  watch-tower 
where  shepherds  guarded  their  flocks  by  night.  It  was  a  mile  (Je- 
rome) or  more  south  of  Bethlehem.  Here  Reuben  was  guilty  of  the 
shameful  deed  which  came  to  the  knowledge  of  his  father,  and  occa- 
sions the  allusion  in  xlix.  4.  He  was  by  this  act  degraded  from  his 
position  in  the  holy  family.  The  division  of  the  open  parashah  in  the 
text  here  is  more  in  accordance  with  the  sense  than  that  of  the  verse. 

22b-3l.  Jacob's  return  and  his  father's  death.  The  family  of  Jacob 
is  now  enumerated,  because  it  has  been  completed  by  the  birth  of  Ben- 
jamin. In  Padan-aram.  This  applies  to  all  of  them  but  Benjamin  ; 
an  exception  which  the  reader  of  the  context  can  make  for  himself. 


GEN.  XXXV.  429 

27.  Jacob  at  length  arrives  with  his  whole  establishment  at  Hebron, 
the  third  notable  station  occupied  by  Abraham  in  the  land  (xiii.  18). 
Here  also  his  father  sojourns.  28,  29.  The  life  of  Isaac  is  now  closed. 
Joseph  must  have  been,  at  the  time  of  Jacob's  return,  in  his  thirteenth 
year,  and  therefore  his  father  in  his  hundred  and  fourth.  Isaac  was 
consequently  in  his  hundred  and  sixty-third  year.  He  survived  the 
return  of  Jacob  to  Hebron  about  seventeen  years,  and  the  sale  of 
Joseph  his  grandson  about  thirteen.  £sau  and  Jacob  his  sons  buried 
Mm.  Hence  we  learn  that  Esau  and  Jacob  continued  to  be  on  broth- 
erly terms  from  the  day  of  their  meeting  at  the  ford  of  Jabbok. 

This  chapter  closes  the  ninth  of  the  pieces  or  documents  marked  off 
by  the  phrase  "  these  are  the  generations."  Its  opening  event  was  the 
birth  of  Isaac  (xxv.  19),  which  took  place  in  the  hundreth  year  of 
Abraham,  and  therefore  seventy-five  years  before  his  death  recorded 
in  the  seventh  document.  As  the  seventh  purports  to  be  the  genera- 
tions of  Terah  (xi.  27)  and  relates  to  Abraham  who  was  his  offspring, 
so  the  present  document,  containing  the  generations  of  Isaac,  refers 
chiefly  to  the  sons  of  Isaac,  and  especially  to  Jacob,  as  the  heir  of 
promise.  Isaac  as  a  son  learned  obedience  to  his  father  in  that  great 
typical  event  of  his  life,  in  which  he  was  laid  on  the  altar,  and  figura- 
tively sacrificed  in  the  ram  which  was  his  substitute.  This  was  the 
great  significant  passage  in  his  life,  after  which  he  retires  into  compar- 
ative tranquillity. 


SECTION  XII.— JACOB. 


LXIV.    HISTORY  OF  ESAU.— Gen.  xxxvi. 

2.  nr2"'Bni<  Oholibamah,  tent  of  the  high  place.  n3^^  'Anah,  an- 
swering.     li"2^  Tsib  on,  di/er,  colored. 

4.  ts-bs  Eliphaz,  God  of  strength.     ^S^i"'}  'Rcnol,  friend  of  God. 

5.  u^ir''^.  Je'usli,  haste,     nbc^  Ja'lam,  hiding.     IT^'p  Qorach,  ice. 

11.  )-c-'r\  Temnu,  right-hand  ma7i.  '•^^^i^  Omsiv,  eloqueiit.  iS::  Tsepho, 
watch.     Dri"5  Ga'tara,  touch.     t3p  Qenaz,  hunting. 

12.  "3-ri  Timna',  restraint,     p^^?.  'Amaleq,  licking  up,  laboring. 

13.  nnj  Nachath,  ^rowz^f  down,  rest,  n'nt  Zerach,  m/nt/  (of  light). 
irat  Shammali,  wasting,     n-fa  'Mizzah,  fear,  sprinJding. 

20.  "jib  Lotan,  covering,  veiled,     bnrj  Shobal,  _^oiom^,  a  shoot. 

21.  '|i-'i.  Disboa,  a  kind  of  gazelle,  fat.  n:JX  Etser,  store.  y::'^'^, 
Dishan,  threshing. 

22.  "'"in  Chori,  troglodyte,     n^'^n  Hemam,  notse,  commotion. 

23.  i;br  'Alvan,  /q/Cy.  nhs^  Manachath,  rest,  bn^^  'Ebal,  stripped 
of  leaves.     ''S'J  Shepho,  5arc.     C5ix  Onam,  strong. 

24.  n^x  Ajjab,  cry,  hawk,  trcr^  hot  springs.  Not  mules  (ci-i-Q) 
nor  giants  (ni:c-i:;). 

26.  ••^■c'n  Chemdan,  pleasant,  "larx  Esbban,  thought  f  "j'^r']  Jitbran, 
gai.7i.     'p3  Keran,  harp  ? 

27  'rb:^  Jjilhiin,  timid.  )^':^'J_  Zanvan,  troubled?  )-;:'j'Aqan,  twist- 
in  cj. 

5>8.  '"IS  Aran,  unld-goat? 

32.  "ba  Lela'  devouring,     "lira  Be  oi',  iforeA.     n^f^p'^  Dinbabah. 

S3,  -^i-  Jobab,  shout,     sr^iia  Botsrab,  ybZrf,/or;. 

34.  rrn  ChusLam,  haste. 

do.  "i~n  Iladad,  breaking,  shout.  ^"^2.  Bedad,  separation.  n'^']? 
Avitb,  twisting. 

30.  r;"b  Samlab,  garment,     np'^b-a  Masrcqab,  vineyard. 

37.  bixd  Sbaul,  as;(-ec?. 

So.  "n  b^a  Baal-cbanan,  Zo/-cZ  o/  grace,     "liaa?  'Akbor,  mouse. 


GEN.  XXXVI.  431 

39.  ^nn  Hadar,  honor,  irs  Pa'u,  hleeting.  ^xsiiifi'a  Mehetab'el, 
God  benefiting,  "yy^^  Matred,  push.  nnT  ia  Me-zahab,  water  oj 
gold. 

40.  nn-^  Jetheth,  a  nail  ? 

41.  nVx  Elali,  terebinth.     "pD'^Si  Pinon,  dark? 

42.  1^3-0  Mibtsar,/6»;-f?-ess. 

43.  i'Xi'nso  Magdiel,  prince  of  God.     wr^'J  'Iram,  civic  or  naked. 

XXXYI.  1.  And  these  are  the  generations  of  Esau,  who 
is  Edom.  2.  Esau  took  his  wives  of  the  daughters  of  Kenaan  : 
Adah,  daughter  of  Elon  the  HIttite  ;  and  Oholibamah,  daugh- 
ter of  Anah,  daughter  of  Zibon  the  Hivite  ;  3.  And  Basemath, 
Ishmael's  daughter,  sister  of  Nebaioth.  4.  And  Adah  bare  to 
Esau  Eliphaz :  and  Basemath  bare  Reuel.  5.  And  Oholiba- 
mah bare  Jeush  and  Jalam  and  Corah.  These  are  the  sons 
of  Esau,  who  were  born  unto  him  in  the  land  of  Kenaan.  6. 
And  Esau  took  his  wives  and  his  sons  and  his  daughters,  and 
all  the  souls  of  his  house,  and  his  cattle  and  all  his  beasts, 
and  all  his  property  which  he  had  gained  in  the  land  of  Ke- 
naan, and  went  imto  a  land  apart  from  Jacob  his  brother.  7 
For  their  gaining  was  more  than  that  they  might  dwell  together; 
and  the  land  of  their  sojournings  could  not  bear  therii  on 
account  of  their  cattle.  8.  Then  dwelt  Esau  in  mount  Seir. 
Esau  is  Edom. 

9.  And  these  are  the  generations  of  Esau,  father  of  Edom, 
in  mount  Seir.  10.  These  are  the  names  of  Esau's  sons  :  Eli- 
phaz, son  of  Adah,  wife  of  Esau ;  Reuel,  son  of  Basemath, 
wife  of  Esau.  11.  And  the  sons  of  Eliphaz  were  Tcman, 
Omar,  Zeplio,  and  Gatam  and  Kenaz.  12.  And  Timna  was 
concubine  to  Eliphaz,  Esau's  son :  and  she  bare  to  Eliphaz 
Amalck  :  these  were  the  sons  of  Adah,  Esau's  wife.  13.  And 
these  are  the  sons  of  Reuel :  Nahath  and  Zerah,  Shammah 
and  Mizzali :  these  were  the  sons  of  Basemath,  Esau's  wife. 
14.  And  these  are  the  sons  of  Oholibamah,  daughter  of  Anah, 
daughter  of  Zibon,  Esau's  wife;  and  she  bare  to  Esau,  Jeush 
and  Jalam  and  Corah. 


432  HISTORY  OF  ESAU. 

15.  These  were  dukes  of  the  sons  of  Esau  ;  the  sons  of  Eli- 
phaz,  first-born  of  Esau,  duke  Teman,  duke  Omar,  duke  Zepho, 
duke  Kenaz,  16.  Duke  Corah,  duke  Gatam,  duke  Amalek ; 
these  were  dukes  of  Eliphaz  in  the  land  of  Edom  :  these  are 
the  sons  of  Adah.  17.  And  these  are  the  sons  of  Reuel,  Esau's 
son  :  duke  Nahath,  duke  Zerah,  duke  Shammah,  duke  Mizzah ; 
these  were  dukes  of  Reuel  in  the  land  of  Edom  :  these  are  the 
sons  of  Basemath,  Esau's  wife.  18.  And  these  are  the  sons 
of  Oholibamah,  Esau's  wife  :  duke  Jeush,  duke  Jalam,  duke 
Corah  :  these  were  dukes  of  Oholibamah,  daughter  of  Anah, 
Esau's  wife.  19.  These  are  the  sons  of  Esau,  who  is  Edom ; 
and  these  their  dukes.  §  39. 

20.  These  are  the  sons  of  Seir  the  Horite,  who  dwelt  in  the 
land :  Lotan  and  Shobal  and  Zibon  and  Anah,  21.  And 
Dishon  and  Ezer  and  Dishan :  these  are  dukes  of  the  Horite, 
sons  of  Seir  in  the  land  of  Edom.  22.  And  the  sons  of  Lotan 
were  Hori  and  Hemam  :  and  Lotan's  sister  was  Timna.  23. 
And  these  are  the  sons  of  Shobal  :A1  van  and  Manahath  and 
Ebal,  Shepho  and  Onam.  24.  And  these  are  the  sons  of 
Zibon,  both  Ajah  and  Anah :  this  is  Anah  who  found  the  hot 
springs  in  the  wilderness,  as  he  fed  the  asses  of  Zibon  his 
father.  25.  And  these  are  the  sons  of  Anah,  Dishon  :  and 
Oholibamah  was  the  daughter  of  Anah.  26.  And  these  are 
the  sons  of  Dishon  :  Hemdan  and  Eshban  and  Ithran  and 
Keran.  27.  And  these  are  the  sons  of  Ezer:  Bilhan  and  Zaa- 
Tan  and  Acan.  28.  These  are  the  sons  of  Dishan :  Uz  and 
Aran.  29.  These  were  dukes  of  the  Horite:  duke  Lotan,  duke 
Shobal,  duke  Zibon,  duke  Anah.  30.  Duke  Dishon,  duke 
Ezer,  duke  Dishan  :  these  were  dukes  of  the  Horite,  according 
to  their  dukes,  in  the  land  of  Seir.  IF  33. 

31.  And  these  are  the  kings  that  reigned  in  the  land  of 
Edom,  before  a  king  reigned  over  the  children  of  Israel.  32. 
And  Bela,  son  of  Beor,  reigned  in  Edom  :  and  the  name  of  his 
city  was  Dinhabah.  33.  And  Bela  died,  and  in  his  stead 
reigned  Jobab,  son  of  Zerah  of  Bozrah.    34.  And  Jobab  died, 


GEN.  XXXVI.  433 

and  in  his  stead  reigned  Hiisliam,  of  the  land  of  the  Teman- 
ite.  35.  And  Husham  died,  and  in  his  stead  reigned  Hadad, 
son  of  Bedad,  who  smote  Midian  in  the  field  of  Moab  ;  and 
the  name  of  his  city  was  Avith.  3G.  And  Hadad  died,  and  in 
his  stead  reigned  Samlah  of  Masrecah.  37.  And  Samlah  died, 
and  in  his  stead  reigned  Sanl  of  Eehoboth  by  the  river.  38. 
And  Saul  died,  and  in  his  stead  reigned  Baal-hanan,  son  of 
Akbor.  39.  And  Baal-hanan,  son  of  Akbor,  died,  and  in  his 
stead  reigned  Hadar,  and  the  name  of  his  city  was  Pan ;  and 
his  wife's  name  Mehetabel,  daughter  of  Matred,  daughter  of 
Mezahab. 

40.  And  these  are  the  names  of  the  dukes  of  Esau  after 
their  families,  after  their  places,  by  their  names :  duke  Timna, 
duke  Alvah,  duke  Jetheth,  41.  Duke  Oholibamah,  duke 
Elah,  duke  Pinon,  42.  Duke  Kenaz,  duke  Teman,  duke  Mib- 
zah,  43.  Duke  Magdiel,  duke  Iram  :  these  are  the  dukes  of 
Edom,  according  to  their  habitations,  in  the  land  of  their  pos- 
sessions :  this  is  Esau,  father  of  Edom.  9  llfH  34. 

The  two  documents  that  now  remain  run  parallel  to  one  another  in 
point  of  time.  They  relate  to  the  two  sons  of  Isaac ;  and,  as  usual, 
the  record  of  the  one,  who,  though  first  born,  falls  into  the  ranks  of 
heathenism,  is  first  given  briefly,  and  thus  dismissed,  in  order  to  make 
way  for  the  more  elaborate  history  of  the  chosen  seed.  The  latter 
document  does  not  terminate  with  the  book  of  Genesis.  We  do  not 
again  meet  with  the  phrase,  "  and  these  are  the  generations,"  until  we 
come  to  the  third  chapter  of  Numbers,  and  even  then  it  is  only  applied 
in  a  subordinate  sense  to  the  family  of  Aaron  and  Moses,  and  the 
priesthood  connected  with  them.  Hence  the  latter  document  may  be 
regarded  as  extending  through  the  remaining  books  of  the  Pentateuch. 
The  former  may  therefore  be  of  like  extent  in  regard  to  time.  The 
last  of  the  eight  kings,  of  whom  it  is  not  said  that  he  died,  seems  to 
liave  been  the  contemporary  of  Moses,  who  made  application  to  him 
for  leave  to  pass  through  his  land.  If  this  be  so,  it  follows  that  the 
remainder  of  Genesis  comes  immediately  from  the  hand  of  Moses  ;  a 
result  which  is  in  accordance  with  other  indications  that  have  presented 
themselves  in  the  previous  part  of  this  book.  This  interesting  monument 
.5,5 


434  HISTORY  OF  ESAU. 

of  antiquity,  from  its  extreme  brevity,  leaves  many  questions  whicli  it 
suggests  to  our  minds  unanswered,  and  in  the  absence  of  all  other 
information,  we  must  rest  contented  with  the  meagre  notices  of  the  race 
of  Edom  which  it  has  furnished.  And  where  we  cannot  ascertain  the 
actual  connection  of  the  events  and  individuals  mentioned,  we  must  be 
satisfied  with  any  possible  relation  in  which  they  may  be  placed.  The 
notice,  notwithstanding  its  brevity,  we  shall  find  to  be  arranged  with 
admirable  precision. 

1-8.  This  passage  is  introductory,  and  records  the  settlement  of 
Esau  with  his  family  in  Mount  Seir.  1.  Esau,  who  is  Edom.  This 
is  a  fact  of  which  we  were  informed  in  the  previous  history  (xxv.  26, 
30).  It  is  mentioned  here  because  the  latter  name  gave  origin  to  the 
national  designation ;  namely,  the  Edomites  or  Idumasans.  The  occur- 
rence of  this  explanatory  or  definitive  clause  here  and  in  other  parts 
of  this  chapter  throws  light  on  the  manner  in  which  this  work  was 
composed.  Such  parenthetical  explanations  are  sometimes  ascribed 
to  the  reviser  or  redactor  of  the  original  text.  And  to  this  there  is  no 
theoretic  objection,  provided  the  reviser  be  allowed  to  be  of  equal  au- 
thority with  the  original  author,  and  the  explanatory  addition  be  neces- 
sary for  the  reader  of  a  later  period,  and  could  not  have  been  furnished 
by  the -original  author.  Otherwise,  such  a  mode  of  accounting  for 
these  simple  clauses  is  unnecessary,  and  therefore  unwari-antable.  The 
present  case  the  writer  has  already  explained,  and  the  latest  reader 
requires  the  clause  no  more  than  the  earliest,  as  he  is  aware  from  the 
previous  notices  that  Esau  is  Edom.  We  are  thus  led  to  regard  these 
explanatory  clauses  as  marks  of  an  early  or  artless  simplicity  of  style, 
and  not  as  any  clear  or  certain  traces  of  revision. 

2-5.  Esau  took  his  wives.  From  the  word  his  we  conclude  that 
this  sentence  does  not  refer  to  his  marrying  these  wives,  but  to  his 
taking  them  with  him  when  he  removed  from  Kenaan.  Hence  the 
sentence,  after  being  interrupted  by  the  intervening  particulars,  is 
resumed  and  completed  in  the  sixth  verse.  The  date  of  this  event  is 
therefore  some  time  after  Jacob's  flight  to  Padan-arara,  and  before  his 
return.  The  daughter  of  Ishmael  he  only  married  after  Jacob's  de- 
parture, and  by  her  he  had  one  son  who  was  born  in  Kenaan.  We 
may  therefore  suppose  that,  about  eighteen  years  after  Jacob's  flight, 
Isaac  had  assigned  to  Esau  a  sufficient  stock  of  cattle  and  goods  for  a 
separate  establishment,  the  extent  of  Esau's  portion  and  of  that  which 
Isaac  had  reserved  for  Jacob  had  become  so  great  as  to  demand  pas- 
ture grounds  widely  removed   from  one  another,  and   Esau's  former 


GEN.  XXXVI. 


435 


habits  and  his  last  matrimonial  alliances  had  drawn  him  towards  Mount 
Seir.  He  married  his  first  wives  when  he  was  fortj  years  of  age 
(xxvi.  34),  and  as  Jacob  was  seventy-seven  when  he  left  his  home,  at 
eighteen  years  after  that  date,  Esau  had  been  fifty-five  years  married 
to  his  first  two  wives,  and  somewhat  less  than  eighteen  to  Ishmael's 
daughter. 

Of  the  daughters  of  Kenaan.  This  refers  to  the  two  following 
wives  mentioned  in  this  verse,  and  distinguishes  them  from  the  third, 
mentioned  in  the  following  verse,  who  is  of  the  family  of  Ishmac.l. 
Adah,  daughter  of  Elon  the  Hittite.  On  comparing  the  account  of  his 
two  wives  whom  he  married  at  forty  with  the  present,  the  first,  name!}'', 
Judith,  daughter  of  Beeri  the  Hittite,  no  longer  appears  either  by  her 
own  name,  that  of  her  father,  or  that  of  her  tribe.  Hence  we  presume 
that  in  the  course  of  the  past  forty-seven  years  she  has  died  without 
male  issue.  This  presumption  is  favored  by  the  circumstance  that  the 
daughter  of  Elon  the  Hittite  is  now  advanced  into  the  first  place.  If 
it  seems  to  any  one  undesirable  to- make  any  presumption  of  this  kind, 
we  have  only  to  say  that  in  the  absence  of  the  connecting  links  in  a 
historical  statement  like  this,  we  must  make  some  supposition  to  show 
the  possibility  of  the  events  related.  The  presumption  we  have  made 
seems  easier  and  therefore  more  likely  than  that  the  names  of  the  indi- 
vidual, the  father  and  the  tribe,  should  be  all  difierent,  and  the  order 
of  the  two  wives  reversed,  and  yet  that  the  same  person  should  be 
intended ;  and  hence  we  have  adopted  it  as  a  possible  arrangement, 
leaving  to  others  the  preference  of  any  other  possibility  that  may  be 
suggCvted.  For  after  all  it  should  be  remembered  that  testimony  only 
could  determine  what  Avere  the  actual  circumstances.  She  v.'ho  was 
formerly  called  Basemath  appears  here  with  the  name  of  Adah.  At 
a  time  when  proper  names  w^ere  still  significant,  the  application  of 
more  than  one  name  to  the  same  individual  was  not  unusual. 

OhoUbamah,  daughter  of  Anah,  daughter  of  Zibon  the  Hivitc.  This 
may  have  been  the  fourth  wife  of  Esau  in  the  order  of  time,  though 
she  is  here  classed  with  the  daughter  of  Elon,  because  she  was  of  the 
daughters  of  Kenaan.  "  Daughter  of  Zibon  "  means  his  granddaugh^ 
ter,  by  the  mother's  side.  The  Hivite  (x.  17).  Zibon  is  thus  distin-. 
guished  from  the  Horite  of  the  same  name  (v.  20).  The  Hivite  race 
we  have  already  met  with  at  Shekem  (xxxiv.  2).  They  also, held  four 
cities  a  short  way  north  of  Jerusalem,  of  which  Gihon  was  the  chief 
(Jos.  ix.  3,  7,  17).  It  was  easy,  therefore,  for  Anah  the  Horite  to 
marry  the  daughter  of  Zibon  the  Hivite.  Basemath,  j)reviously  called, 
Mahalath. 


43G  HISTORY  OF  ESAU. 

4,  5.  Five  sons  were  born  to  Esau  in  Kenaan,  of  whom  Adah  and 
Baseraath  bare  each  one.  As  Oholibamah  bare  him  three  sons  before 
leaving  Kenaan,  she  must  have  be(!n  married  to  him  four  or  five  years 
before  tliat  event,  perhaps  on  the  death  of  his  first  wife,  and  in  conse- 
quence of  his  connection  with  the  south. 

G-8.  Tlie  sentence  that  was  left  incomplete  in  v.  2  is  now  resumed 
and  completed.  His  departui-e  from  Kenaan  is  ascribed  to  the  abound- 
ing wealth  of  himself  and  his  brother.  What  remained  in  the  hands 
of  I:?aac  was  virtually  Jacob's,  though  he  had  not  yet  entered  into  for- 
mal possession  of  it.  Mount  Seir  is  the  range  of  hills  extending  fz'om 
the  Elanitic  Gulf  to  the  Salt  Sea ;  the  northern  part  of  which  is  called 
Jebal  {Tcj3aXi]vr]),  and  the  southern  part  esh-Sherah,  and  parallel  to 
which  on  the  west  lies  Wady  Arabah.  In  this  range  is  situated  the 
celebrated  rock  city,  Sela  or  Petra,  adjacent  to  Mount  lior. 

9-14.  After  the  removal  to  Mount  Seir  the  race  of  Esau  is  traced 
further.  It  is  remarkable  that  the  phrase,  "  And  these  are  the  gener- 
ations of  Esau,"  is  now  repeated.  This  is  sufficient  to  show  us  that  it 
does  not  necessarily  indicate  diversity  of  authorship,  or  is  a  very 
distinct  piece  of  composition.  Here  it  merely  distinguishes  the  his- 
tory of  Esau's  descent  in  Mount  Seir  from  that  in  Kenaan.  Father  of 
JSdom.  Edom  here  denotes  the  nation  sprung  from  him.  Eliphaz  has 
five  sons  by  his  wife,  and  by  a  concubine  a  sixth,  named  Amalek,  most 
probably  the  father  of  the  Amalckites  (xiv.  7).  Timna  was  probably 
a  very  young  sister  of  Lotan  (v.  22),  perhaps  not  older  than  her  niece 
Oholibamah  (v.  25).  Eliphaz  was  at  least  forty-one  years  younger 
than  Esau.  Yet  it  is  curious  that  the  father  takes  the  niece  to  Avife, 
and  the  son  the  aunt.  Teman  is  the  father  of  the  Temanites,  among 
whom  we  find  Eliphaz  the  Temanite  mentioned  in  Job  (ii.  11).  The 
name  Kenaz  may  indicate  some  affinity  of  Edom  with  the  Kenizzites 
(xv.  19),  though  these  were  an  older  tribe.  The  other  tribes  are  not 
of  any  note  in  history.  Zepho  is  Zephi  in  Chronicles,  by  the  change 
of  a  feeble  letter.  Such  variations  are  not  unusual  in  Hebrew  speech, 
and  so  make  their  appearance  in  writing.  Thus  in  Genesis  itself  we 
have  met  with  Mehujael  and  Mehijael,  Peniel  and  Penuel  (iv.  18, 
xxxii.  30,  31).  The  sons  of  Esau  by  Oholibamah  are  younger  than 
the  other  two,  and  hence  these  sons  are  not  enumerated  along  with 
those  of  the  latter. 

15-19.  The  first  dukes  of  Edom.  The  AUuph  or  duke  is  the  head 
of  the  tribe  among  the  Edomitcs,  like  the  Nasi  or  pi-ince  among  the 
Israelites.  The  ten  grandsons  of  Esau  by  Adah  and  Bascmath  take 
rank  with  his  three  sons  by  Oholibamah.   This  favors  the  presumption 


GEN.  XXXVI.  437 

that  she  was  his  fourth  and  latest  wife.  16.  Duhe  Corah.  This  ap- 
pears to  be  inserted  bj  a  slip  of  the  pen,  though  it  occurs  in  the  Sept. 
and  Onk.  It  is  wanting,  however,  in  the  Sam.  It  would  make  twelve 
dukes,  whereas  it  appears  from  the  closing  verses  of  the  chapter  that 
there  were  only  eleven.  It  is  possible,  however,  that  there  may  have 
been  a  Corah  descended  from  Eliphaz  who  attained  to  a  dukedom  ;  and 
that  Amalek  separated  himself  from  the  rest  of  the  Edomites  and 
asserted  his  independence.  In  the  absence  of  explanatory  testimony 
we  must  leave  this  point  undecided  as  we  find  it. 

20-30.  This  notice  of  the  Horites  is  in  matter  more  distinct  from 
that  which  precedes,  than  the  second  is  from  the  first  paragraph  in  the 
chapter.  Seir  the  Horite.  The  Ilorite  (xiv.  6,)  was  the  cave-dweller, 
and  probably  got  his  name  from  the  cave  hewn  out  of  the  solid  rock 
in  which  he  was  wont  to  dwell.  Sela  was  a  city  of  such  excavated 
dwellings.  If  Seir  here  mentioned  be  the  original  Seir,  then  he  is  the 
remote  father  of  the  seven  Horite  dukes  who  belonged  to  the  time  of 
Esau.  If  he  be  their  immediate  parent,  then  he  is  named  after  that 
earlier  Seir  who  gave  name  to  the  mountain  range.  Who  dwelt  in  the 
land.  The  sons  of  Seir  dwelt  in  this  land  before  the  coming  of  the 
Edomites.  22-28.  Here  follow  the  descendants  of  the  then  living 
dukes  of  the  Ilorim.  Hori,  Lotan's  son,  bears  the  name  of  the  nation. 
Ilcmam,  in  Chronicles  Homam,  by  a  change  of  letter.  Timna,  the 
concubine  of  Eliphaz  (v.  12).  Alvan  and  Shepho,  in  Chronicles 
Aljan  and  Shephi,  by  a  reverse  change  of  the  same  letters  (see  v.  11). 
Zibon.  Thi?  we  suppose  to  be  different  from  Zibon  the  Hivite  (v.  2, 
14).  Anah  is  of  course  different  from  his  uncle  Anah  the  brother  of 
Zibon  the  Horite.  The  hot  springs  in  the  wilderness.  There  were 
various  hot  springs  in  the  vicinity,  as  Kallirrhoe  in  "Wady  Zurka  Main, 
those  in  "Wady  Hemad  between  Kerak  and  the  Salt  Sea,  and  those  in 
Wady  el-Ahsy.  25.  Sons  of  Anah.  The  plui'al,  sons,  here  is  used 
according  to  the  general  formula,  though  only  one  son  is  mentioned. 
Oiiolibamah,  being  the  daughter  of  Anah,  and  wife  of  Esau,  while 
Eliphaz  is  married  to  her  aunt  Timna,  is  not  likely  to  be  the  grand- 
daughter by  the  mother's  side  of  her  uncle  Zibon.  This  is  in  favor  of 
Zibon  the  Hivite  and  Zibon  the  Horite  being  different  individuals  (v. 
2).  Anah  is  here  the  brother  of  Zibon.  The  nephew  Anah  (v.  24), 
bears  the  name  of  his  uncle  (v.  20).  Dishon  is  an  example  of  the  same 
community  of  name  (v.  21).  26,  27.  All  Dishon's  and  Ezer's  sons 
have  names  ending  in  an.  Acan  'j^v'^  (Jaacau)  in  1  Chron.  i.  41  is  a 
graphic  error  for  '"^V^  (and  Acan).     28.    Uz ;  see  x.  23,  xxii.  21.     In 


438  HISTORY  OF  ESAU. 

V.  29,  30,  the  dukes  are  formally  enumerated.  AccoTding  to  their 
cluhes  ;  the  seven  officials  of  preeminent  authority  among  the  Horites- 
The  official  is  here  distin^ished  from  the  personal.  Tliis  is  a  distinc- 
tion familiar  to  Scripture. 

31-39.  The  series  of  eight  kings  here  enumerated  ai'e  plainly  elect- 
ive, as  not  one  succeeds  his  father.  The  king  coexists  with  the  dukes, 
Avho  are  again  enumerated  at  the  close  of  the  list,  and  are  mentioned 
in  the  song  of  Moses  (Ex.  xv.  15).  These  dukes  are  no  doubt  the 
electors  of  the  common  sovereign,  who  is  designed  to  give  unity  and 
strength  to  the  nation.  It  is  natural  to  suppose  that  no  sovereign  was 
elected  till  after  the  death  of  Esau,  and,  therefore^  if  he  lived  as  long  as 
I  Jacob,  after  the  children  of  Israel  had  been  seventeen  years  in  Egypt. 
As  we  calculate  that  they  were  two  hundred  and  ten  years  in  that  coun- 
try, and  forty  years  afterwards  in  the  wilderness,  this  would  allow 
two  hundred  and  thirty-three  (250 — 17)  years  for  seven  reigns,  and  a 
part  of  the  eighth,  during  which  Moses  and  his  host  marched  along  the 
borders  of  Edom.  Allowing  some  interval  before  the  first  election,  we 
have  an  average  of  thirty-three  years  for  each  reign.  31.  Before  a 
king  reigned  over  the  children  of  Israel.  This  simply  means  before 
there  was  a  monarchy  established  in  Israel.  It  does  not  imply  that 
monarchy  began  in  Israel  immediately  after  these  kings  ;  as  Lot's  be- 
holding the  vale  of  Jordan  to  be  well-watered  before  the  Lord  destroyed 
Sodom  and  Amorah,  does  not  imply  that  the  cities  were  destroyed  im- 
mediately after  Lot  beheld  this  sight  (xiii.  10).  Nor  does  it  imply 
that  monarchy  in  Israel  had  begun  in  the  time  of  the  writer ;  as  Isaac's 
saying,  "  That  my  soul  may  bless  thee  before  I  die  "  (xxvii.  4)  does 
not  imply  that  he  was  dead  at  the  time  of  his  saying  so.  It  merely 
implies  that  Israel  was  expected  to  have  kings  (xxxv.  11),  as  Isaac 
was  expected  to  die.  32.  Of  the  several  sovereigns  here  men- 
tioned we  have  no  other  historical  notice.  Beor  is  also  the  name  of 
Balaam's  father  (Num.  xxii.  5).  This  indicates  affinity  of  language 
between  their  respective  tribes.  The  site  of  Dmhahah^  the  capital  of 
Bela,  though  the  name  is  applied  to  many  towns,  has  not  been  ascer- 
tained. 33.  Bozrah  is  el-Busaireh,  about  twenty-one  miles  nearly 
south  of  the  Salt  Sea.  34.  The  land  of  the  Temanite  has  its  name 
from  Teman,  son  of  Eliphaz.  His  town  was,  according  to  Jerome, 
five  miles  from  Petra,  35.  Hadad  is  a  name  of  frequent  recurrence 
among  the  Aramaeans.  Who  smote  Midian  in  the  field  of  Moah.  This 
records  an  event  not  otherwise  known,  and  indicates  external  conquest 
on  the  part  of  the  Idumjean  state.     Avith  or  Ajuth  (1  Chron.  i.  -IG, 


GEN.  XXXVII.  439 

probably  a  graphic  error)  is  not  otherwise  known.  36.  Masrecah  is 
likewise  unknown.  o7.  Reliohotli  by  the  river.  If  the  river  be  the 
Phrat  (Onk.),  Rehoboth  may  be  er-Rahabah,  not  far  from  the  mouth 
of  the  Khabur.  Otherwise  it  may  be  er-Euhaibeh  on  a  wady  joining 
the  Sihor  or  el-Arish  (xxvi.  22),  or  the  Robotha  of  Eusebius  and  Je- 
rome, the  site  of  which  is  not  known.  39.  Hadar  is  probably  a  collo- 
quial variation  of  Hadad  (v.  35)  which  is  found  in  Chron.  Pau  or  Pai 
is  unknown.  Matred  is  the  father  of  his  wife.  Mezahab  her  mother's 
father.  The  death  of  all  these  sovereigns  is  recorded  except  the  last, 
"who  is  therefore  supposed  to  have  been  contemporary  with  Moses. 

40-43.  The  hereditary  dukes  who  wei'e  contemporaneous  with  this 
sovereign,  and  formed  no  doubt  his  council,  are  now  enumerated.  Tim- 
na,  once  the  name  of  a  female,  now  appears  as  a  male,  unless  Ave  allow 
a  duchess  in  her  own  right  to  have  occurred  among  them.  The  same 
applies  to  Oholibamah.  Alva  or  Aljah  is  near  akin  to  Alvan  or  Allan 
(v.  23).  Jetheth,  Elah,  Pinon,  Mibzar,  Magdiel,  Iram,  are  new  names. 
Four  of  the  old  names  reappear.  One  is  only  slightly  different.  The 
number  of  dukes  is  eleven.  It  is  probable  that  Amalek  separated  from 
the  family  confederacy ;  and  the  number  of  tribes  may  have  been 
originally  twelve.  The  seven  Horite  dukedoms  probably  merged  into 
the  Idumsean  eleven. 


LXV.    JOSEPH  SOLD  INTO  EGYPT.  —  Gen.  xxxvii. 

17.  y^rf\  Dothain,  two  wells  ?  (Ges.) 

25.  ristb?  tragacanth  or  goat's-thorn  gum,  yielded  by  the  astragalus 
gummifer,  a  native  of  Mount  Lebanon.  'I'lS  opohalsamum^  the  resin 
of  the  balsam  tree,  growing  in  Gilead,  and  having  healing  qualities. 
'Jb  XrjSov,  ledum,  ladanum,  in  the  Septuagint  crraKTrj.  The  former  is  a 
gum  produced  from  the  cistus  rose.  The  latter  is  a  gum  resembling 
liquid  myrrh. 

36.  13i::iQ  Potiphar,  belonging  to  the  sun. 

XXXVII.  1.  And  Jacob  dwelt  in  the  land  of  his  father's 
sojournings,  in  the  land  of  Kenaan.  2.  These  are  the  genera- 
tions of  Jacob.  Joseph,  the  son  of  seventeen  years,  was  with 
his  brethren  feeding  the  flock,  and  he  a  lad  with  the  sons  of 


440  JOSEPH  SOLD  INTO  EGYPT. 

Bilhali,  and  with  the  sons  of  Zilpah,  his  father's  wives  ;  and 
Joseph  brought  an  evil  report  of  them  unto  their  father.  3. 
And  Israel  loved  Joseph  above  all  his  sons,  because  he  was  the 
son  of  his  old  age  :  and  he  made  him  a  coat  of  many  colors, 
4.  And  his  bretlu'en  saw  that  their  fatlier  loved  him  above  all 
his  brethren,  and  they  hated  him,  and  could  not  bid  peace  to 
him. 

5.  And  Joseph  dreamed  a  dream  and  told  his  brethren :  and 
they  hated  him  yet  the  more.  6.  And  he  said  unto  them,  Hear 
now  this  dream  which  I  have  dreamed.  7.  And,  behold,  we 
were  binding  sheaves  in  the  field,  and-  lo,  my  sheaf  arose,  and 
also  stood  upright ;  and,  lo,  your  sheaves  stood  around,  and 
bowed  down  to  my  sheaf.  8.  And  his  brethren  said  unto  him, 
Shalt  thou  reign  indeed  over  us  ?  Shalt  thou  have  the  rule 
over  us  ?  And  they  hated  him  yet  the  more  for  his  dreams 
and  for  his  words.  9.  And  he  dreamed  yet  another  dream, 
and  told  it  his  brethren,  and  said.  Behold,  I  have  dreamed  a 
dream  more  ;  and  lo,  the  sun  and  the  moon  and  eleven  stars 
bowed  down  to  me.  10.  And  he  told  his  father  and  his  breth- 
ren :  and  his  father  rebuked  him,  and  said  unto  him.  What  is 
this  dream  thou  hast  dreamed  ?  Shall  I  and  thy  mother  and 
thy  brethren  come  indeed  to  bow  down  to  thee  to  the  earth  ? 
11.  And  his  brethren  envied  him,  and  his  fatlier  observed  the 
saying. 

12.  And  his  brethren  went  to  feed  their  father's  flock  in 
Shekem.  13.  And  Israel  said  unto  Joseph,  xire  not  thy  breth- 
ren herding  in  Shekem  ?  Come,  and  I  will  send  thee  unto 
them.  And  he  said  to  him.  Here  am  I.  14.  And  he  said  to 
him,  Go,  now,  see  that  it  is  well  with  thy  brethren  and  well 
with  the  flock  ;  and  bring  me  back  word.  And  he  sent  him 
out  of  the  dale  of  Hebron,  and  he  went  to  Shekem.  15.  And 
a  man  found  him,  and,  lo,  he  was  wandering  in  the  field  :  and 
the  man  asked  him  saying.  What  seekest  thou  ?  IG.  And  he 
said.  My  brethren  seek  I :  tell  me  now  where  they  are  herd- 
ing.    17.  And  the  man  said,  They  have  set  out  hence ;  for  I 


GEN.  XXXVII.  441 

heard  them  say,  Let  us  go  to  Dothan.     And  Joseph  went  after 
his  brethren,  and  found  them  in  Dothan. 

18.  And  they  saw  him  afar  off:  and  before  he  came  near 
unto  them,  they  plotted  against  him  to  kill  him.  19.  And 
they  said  one  to  another,  Behold,  this  master  of  dreams  comcth, 
20.  And  now  come,  and  let  us  slay  him  and  cast  him  into  one 
of  the  pits,  and  we  will  say.  An  evil  beast  hath  devoured  him  ; 
and  we  shall  see  what  will  become  of  his  dreams.  21.  And 
Eeuben  heard,  and  delivered  him  out  of  their  hand  :  and  he 
said,  Let  us  not  strike  at  his  life.  22.  And  Reuben  said  unto 
them,  Shed  not  blood  ;  cast  him  into  this  pit  that  is  in  the 
wilderness,  and  lay  no  hand  on  him :  that  he  might  deliver 
him  out  of  their  hand,  to  restore  him  to  his  father.  23.  And 
it  came  to  pass  when  Joseph  was  come  to  his  brethren,  that 
they  stripped  Joseph  of  his  coat,  the  coat  of  many  colors,  that 
was  on  him.  24.  And  they  took  him,  and  cast  him  into  the 
pit ;  and  the  pit  was  empty  :  there  was  no  water  in  it. 

25.  And  they  sat  down  to  eat  bread  ;  and  they  lifted  up 
their  eyes,  and  looked,  and,  behold,  a  caravan  of  Ishmaelites 
came  from  Gilead,  and  their  camels  bare  spicery  and  balm  and 
myrrh,  going  to  carry  down  into  Mizraim.  26.  And  Jiidah 
said  unto  his  brethren.  What  profit  that  we  slay  our  brother 
and  cover  his  blood  ?  27.  Come,  and  let  us  sell  him  to  the 
Ishmaelites,  and  let  not  our  hand  be  upon  him ;  for  our  brother 
is  our  flesh.  And  his  brethren  hearkened.  28.  And  there 
passed  by  Midianito  merchants,  and  they  drew  and  lifted  up 
Joseph  out  of  the  pit,  and  sold  Joseph  to  the  Ishmaelites  for 
twenty  silver  pieces :  and  they  brought  Joseph  to  Mizraim. 
29.  And  Reuben  returned  unto  the  pit ;  and,  behold,  Joseph 
was  not  in  the  pit ;  and  he  rent  his  clothes.  30.  And  he  re- 
turned to  his  brethren  and  said.  The  lad  is  not,  and  I,  whither 
shall  I  go  ? 

31.  And  they  took  Joseph's  coat,  and  killed  a  kid  of  the 
goats,  and  dipped  the  coat  in  the  blood.     32.  And  they  rent 
the  coat  of  many  colors,  and  carried  it  to  their  father,  and 
56 


442  JOSEPH  SOLD  INTO  EGYPT. 

said,  This  we  have  found:  know  now  whether  it  be  thy  son's 
coat  or  not.  33.  And  he  knew  it,  and  said,  It  is  my  son's 
coat ;  an  evil  beast  hath  devoured  him  :  torn,  torn  in  pieces  is 
Joseph.  34.  And  Jacob  rent  his  garments,  and  put  sackcloth 
on  his  loins,  and  mourned  for  his  son  many  days.  35.  Then 
arose  all  his  sons  and  all  his  daughters  to  comfort  him  ;  and 
he  refused  to  be  comforted,  and  said,  For  I  will  go  down  to 
my  son  mourning  to  the  grave.  And  his  father  wept  for  him. 
86.  And  the  Midianites  sold  him  into  Mizraim  unto  Potiphar, 
an  officer  of  Pharoh,  captain  of  the  guards.  IF  35. 

The  sketch  of  the  race  of  Edom,  given  in  the  preceding  piece^  we 
have  seen,  reaches  down  to  the  time  of  Moses.  Accordingly,  the  his- 
tory of  Jacob's  seed,  which  is  brought  before  us  in  the  present  docu- 
ment, reverts  to  a  point  of  time  not  only  before  the  close  of  that  piece, 
but  before  the  final  record  of  that  which  precedes  it.  The  thread  of 
the  narrative  is  here  taken  up  from  the  return  of  Jacob  to  Hebron, 
which  was  seventeen  years  before  the  death  of  Isaac. 

1-5,  Joseph  is  the  favorite  of  his  father,  but  not  of  his  brethren.  In 
the  land  of  his  father  s  sojournincjs.  This  contrasts  Jacob  with  Esau, 
who  removed  to  Mount  Seir.  This  notice  precedes  the  phrase,  "  These 
are  the  generations."  The  corresponding  sentence  in  the  case  of  Isaac 
is  placed  at  the  end  of  the  preceding  section  of  the  narrative  (xxv.  11). 
The  son  of  seventeen  years  ;  in  his  seventeenth  year  (v.  32).  The  sons 
of  Bilhah.  The  sons  of  the  handmaids  were  nearer  his  own  age,  and 
perhaps  more  tolerant  of  the  favorite  than  the  sons  of  Leah  the  free 
wife.  Benjamin  at  this  time  was  about  four  years  of  age.  An  evil 
report  of  them.  The  unsophisticated  child  of  home  is  prompt  in  the 
disapproval  of  evil,  and  frank  in  the  avowal  of  his  feelings.  What  the 
evil  was  we  are  not  informed ;  but  Jacob's  full-grown  sons  were  now 
far  from  the  paternal  eye,  and  prone,  as  it  seems,  to  give  way  to  temp- 
tation. Many  scandals  come  out  to  view  in  the  chosen  family.  Loved 
Joseph.  He  was  the  son  of  his  best-loved  wife,  and  of  his  old  age ; 
as  Benjamin  had  not  yet  come  into  much  notice.  A  coat  of  many  col- 
ors. This  was  a  coat  reaching  to  the  hands  and  feet,  worn  by  persons 
not  much  occupied  with  manual  labor,  according  to  the  general  opin- 
ion. It  was,  we  conceive,  variegated  either  by  the  loom  or  the  needle, 
and  is  therefore  well  rendered  p(iTwi'  ttoikiAos,  a  motley  coat.      Could 


GEN.  XXXVII.  443 

not  hid  peace  to  Mm.  The  partiality  of  his  father,  exhibited  in  so 
weak  a  manner,  provokes  the  anger  of  his  brothers,  who  cannot  bid 
him  good-day,  or  greet  him  in  the  ordinary  terms  of  good-will. 

5-11.  Joseph's  dreams  excite  the  jealousy  of  his  brothers.  5-8. 
His  frankness  in  reciting  his  dream  to  his  brothers  marks  a  spirit  de- 
void of  guile,  and  only  dimly  conscious  of  the  import  of  his  nightly 
visions.  The  first  dream  represents  by  a  figure  the  humble  submission 
of  all  his  brothers  to  him,  as  they  rightly  interpret  it.  For  Ms  dreams 
and  for  Ms  words.  The  meaning  of  this  dream  was  offensive  enough, 
and  his  telling  of  it  rendered  it  even  more  disagreeable.  9-11.  A 
second  dream  is  given  to  express  the  certainty  of  the  event  (sli.  32). 
The  former  serves  to  interpret  the  latter.  There  the  sheaves  are  con- 
nected with  the  brothers  who  bound  them,  and  thereby  indicate  the 
parties.  The  eleven  stars  are  not  so  connected  with  them.  But  here 
Joseph  is  introduced  directly  without  a  figure,  and  the  number  eleven, 
taken  along  with  the  eleven  sheaves  of  the  former  dream,  makes  the 
application  to  the  brothers  plain.  The  sun  and  moon  clearly  point  out 
the  father  and  mother.  The  mother  is  to  be  taken,  we  conceive,  in  the 
abstract,  without  nicely  inquiring  whether  it  means  the  departed  Rachel, 
or  the  probably  still  living  Leah.  Not  even  the  latter  seems  to  have 
lived  to  see  the  fulfilment  of  this  prophetic  dream  (xlix.  31).  The 
second  dream  only  aggi-avated  the  hatred  of  his  brothers ;  but  his 
father,  while  rebuking  him  for  his  speeches,  yet  marked  the  saying. 
The  rebuke  seems  to  imply  that  the  dream,  or  the  telling  of  it,  appears 
to  his  father  to  indicate  the  lurking  of  a  self-sufficient  or  ambitious 
spirit  within  the  breast  of  the  youthful  Joseph.  The  twofold  intima- 
tion, however,  came  from  a  higher  source, 

12-17.  Joseph  is  sent  to  Dothan.  Shekem  belonged  to  Jaco*b;  part 
of  it  by  purchase,  and  the  rest  by  conquest.  Joseph  is  sent  to  inquire 
of  their  welfare  (Dibd  peace,  v.  4).  With  obedient  promptness  the 
youth  goes  to  Shekem,  where  he  learns  that  they  had  removed  to 
Dothan,  a  town  about  twelve  miles  due  north  of  Shekem. 

18-24.  His  brothers  cast  him  into  a  pit.  TMs  master  of  dreams;  an 
eastern  phrase  for  a  dreamer.  Let  us  slay  Mm.  They  had  a  forebod- 
ing that  his  dreams  might  prove  true,  and  that  he  would  become  their 
arbitrary  master.  This  thought  at  all  events  would  abate  somewhat 
of  the  barbarity  of  their  designs.  It  is  implied  in  the  closing  sentence 
of  their  proposal.  Reuben  dissuades  them  from  the  act  of  murder, 
and  advises  merely  to  cast  him  into  the  pit,  to  which  they  consent. 
He  had  a  more  tender  heart,  and  perhaps  a  more  tender  conscience 


444  JOSEPH  SOLD  INTO  EGYPT. 

than  the  rest,  and  intended  to  send  Joseph  back  safe  to  his  father.  He 
doubtless  took  care  to  choose  a  pit  that  was  without  water. 

25-30.  Reuben  rends  his  clothes  when  he  finds  Joseph  gone.  To 
eat  bread.  This  shows  the  cold  and  heartless  cruelty  of  their  deed. 
A  caravan,  —  a  company  of  travelling  merchants.  Ishmaelites.  Ishmael 
left  his  father's  house  when  about  fourteen  or  fifteen  years  of  age.  His 
mother  took  him  a  wife  probably  when  he  was  eighteen,  or  twenty  at 
the  furthest.  He  had  arrived  at  the  latter  age  about  one  hundred  and 
sixty-two  years  before  the  date  of  the  present  occurrence.  He  had 
twelve  sons  (xxv.  13-15),  and  if  we  allow  only  four  other  generations 
and  a  fivefold  increase,  there  will  be  about  fifteen  thousand  in  the  fifth 
generation.  Came  from  Gilead  ;  celebrated  for  its  balm  (Jer.  viii.  22, 
xlvi.  11).  The  caravan  road  from  Damascus  to  Egypt  touches  upon 
the  land  of  Gilead,  goes  through  Beth-shean,  and  passes  by  Dothan. 
Spicery.  This  gum  is  called  tragacanth,  or  goats-thorn  gum,  because 
it  was  supposed  to  be  obtained  from  this  plant.  Balm,  or  balsam ;  an 
aromatic  substance  obtained  from  a  plant  of  the  genus  Amyris,  a  na- 
tive of  Gilead.  Myrrh  is  the  name  of  a  gum  exuding  from  the  balsa- 
modendron  myrrha,  growing  in  Arabia  Felix.  Lot,  however,  is  sup- 
posed to  be  the  resinous  juice  of  the  cistus  or  rock  rose,  a  plant  grow- 
ing in  Crete  and  Syria.  Judah,  relenting,  and  revolting  perhaps  from 
the  crime  of  fratricide,  proposes  to  sell  Joseph  to  the  merchants.  Mid- 
ianites  and  Medanites  (v.  oG)  are  mere  variations  apparently  of  the 
same  name.  They  seem  to  have  been  the  actual  purchasers,  though 
the  caravan  takes  its  name  from  the  Ishmaelites,  who  formed  by  far 
the  larger  portion  of  it.  Midian  and  Medan  were  both  sons  of  Abra- 
ham, and  during  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  years  must  have  increased 
to  a  small  clan.  Thus  Joseph  is  sold  to  the  descendants  of  Abraham. 
Tiventy  silver  pieces  ;  probably  shekels.  This  is  the  rate  at  which  Moses 
estimates  a  male  from  five  to  twenty  years  old  (Lev.  xxvii.  5).  A 
man-servant  was  valued  by  him  at  thirty  shekels  (Ex.  xxi.  32).  Eeu- 
ben  finding  Joseph  gone,  rends  his  clothes,  in  token  of  anguish  of  mind 
for  the  loss  of  his  brother  and  the  grief  of  his  father. 

31-36.  The  brothers  contrive  to  conceal  their  crime ;  and  Joseph 
is  sold  into  Egypt.  Torn,  torn  in  pieces  is  Joseph.  The  sight  of  the 
bloody  coat  convinces  Jacob  at  once  that  Joseph  has  been  devoured  by 
a  wild  beast.  All  his  daughters.  Only  one  daughter  of  Jacob  is  men- 
tioned by  name.  These  are  probably  his  daughters-in-law.  To  the 
grave.  Sheol  is  the  place  to  which  the  soul  departs  at  death.  It  is  so 
culled  from  its  ever  craving,  or  being  empty.     Minister.     This  word 


GEN.  XXXVIII.  445 

originally  means  eunuch,  and  then,  generally,  any  officer  about  the  court 
or  person  of  the  sovereign.  Captain  of  the  guards.  The  guards  are 
the  executioners  of  the  sentences  passed  by  the  sovereign  on  culprits, 
which  were  often  arbitrary,  summary,  and  extremely  severe.  It  is 
manifest,  from  this  dark  chapter,  that  the  power  of  sin  has  not  been 
extinguished  in  the  family  of  Jacob.  The  name  of  God  does  not 
appeal',  and  his  hand  is  at  present  only  dimly  seen  among  the  wicked 
designs,  deeds,  and  devices  of  these  unnatural  brothers.  Nevertheless, 
his  counsel  of  mercy  standeth  sure,  and  fixed  is  his  purpose  to  bring 
salvation  to  the  whole  race  of  man,  by  means  of  his  special  covenant 
with  Abraham. 


LXVI.    THE  FAMILY  OF  JUDAH.  —  Gen.  xxxviii. 

1.  C^"i;;  'Adullam,  righteousness.     tT^'^n  Chirah,  nohility'? 

2.  'S'VQ  Shua',  luch,  riches,  cry. 

3.  "12  'Er,  loatching. 

4.  I^'ix  Onan,  strong. 

5.  Th'ei_  S\\e\ah,  request  ?  rest.     'z-'l'D 'Kezih,  falsehood. 
G.  "i":n  Tamar,  palm. 

12.  n'ZT\  Timnah,  counted  or  assigned. 
14.  n";i:^|  'Euaim,  two  fountains. 
29.  1^*13  Perets,  breach. 

XXXYIII.  1.  And  it  came  to  pass  at  that  time,  that  Judah 
went  down  from  his  brethren,  and  turned  in  to  a  certain  Adul- 
lamite,  whose  name  was  Hirah.  2.  And  Judah  saw  there  a 
daughter  of  a  certain  Kenaanito,  whose  name  was  Shua  ;  and 
he  took  her  and  went  in  unto  her.  3.  And  she  conceived  and 
bare  a  son  ;  and  he  called  his  name  Er.  4.  And  she  conceived 
again  and  bare  a  son  ;  and  she  called  his  name  Onan.  5.  And 
she  added  again  and  bare  a  son,  and  called  his  name  Shelah  : 
and  it  was  at  Kezib  that  she  bare  him.  6.  And  Judah  took 
a  wife  for  Er  his  first-born,  whose  name  was  Tamar.  7.  And 
Er,  Judah's  first-born,  was  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  ;  and 
the  Lord  killed  him.     8.  And  Judah  said  unto  Onan,  Go  in 


446  THE  FAMILY  OF  JUDAH. 

unto  tliy  brother's  wife,  and  be  a  liusbancl  to  her,  and  raise  up 
seed  to  thy  brother.  9.  And  Onan  knew  that  the  seed  should 
not  be  his  ;  and  it  came  to  pass,  if  he  went  in  unto  his  brother's 
wife,  that  he  spilt  it  on  the  ground,  lest  he  should  give  seed  to 
his  brother,  10.  And  that  which  he  did  was  evil  in  the  eyes 
of  tlie  Lord,  and  he  killed  him  also.  11.  And  Judah  said  to 
Tamar,  his  daughter-in-law,  Dwell  a  widow  in  thy  father's 
house,  till  Shelah  my  son  be- grown.  For  he  said.  Lest  he  also 
die,  as  his  brethren.  And  Tamar  went  and  dwelt  in  her 
father's  house. 

12.  And  many  were  the  days,  and  Shua's  daughter,  wife  of 
Tudah,  died;  and  Judah  was  comforted,  and  went  up  unto 
his  sheep-shearers,  he  and  Hirah  his  friend  the  Adullamite, 
to  Timnah.  13.  And  it  was  told  Tamar,  saying.  Behold  thy 
father-in-law  goeth  up  to  Timnah  to  shear  his  sheep.  14.  And 
she  put  the  garments  of  her  widowhood  off  her,  and  put  on  a 
veil,  and  wrapped  herself  up,  and  sat  at  the  gate  of  Enaim, 
which  is  on  the  way  to  Timnah  :  for  she  saw  that  Shelah  was 
grown,  and  she  was  not  given  to  him  to  wife.  15.  And  Judah 
saw  her,  and  thought  her  to  be  a  harlot,  because  she  had  cov- 
ered her  face.  IG.  And  he  turned  unto  her  by  the  way,  and 
said.  Pray  now,  let  me  come  in  unto  tliee.  For  he  knew  not 
that  she  was  his  daughter-in-law :  And  she  said.  What  wilt 
thou  give  me,  that  thou  mayst  come  in  unto  me  ?  17.  And 
he  said,  I  will  send  thee  a  kid  from  the  flock.  And  she  said, 
if  thou  wilt  give  me  a  pledge,  till  thou  send  it.  18.  And  he 
said.  What  jdedge  sliall  1  give  thee  ?  And  slie  said,  Thy  sig- 
net, and  tliy  lace,  and  thy  staff  tliat  is  in  thy  hand.  And  he 
gave  lier  them,  and  went  in  unto  her,  and  she  conceived  by 
him.  19.  And  she  arose,  and  went,  and  took  her  veil  off  her, 
and  put  on  tlie  garments  of  her  widowhood.  20.  And  Judah 
sent  the  kid  by  the  hand  of  his  friend  the  Adullamite,  to  re- 
ceive the  pledge  from  the  woman's  hand  ;  and  he  found  her 
not.  21.  And  he  asked  the  men  of  her  place,  saying,  AVhere 
is  the  courtesan  that  was  in  Enaim  by  the  way  ?     And  they 


GEN.  XXXVIII. 


447 


said,  There  was  no  courtesan  here.  22.  And  he  returned  to 
Judah,  and  said,  I  found  her  not;  and  also  the  men  of  her 
place  said,  There  was  no  courtesan  here.  23.  And  Judah  said, 
Let  her  take  them,  lest  we  be  shamed  :  behold,  I  sent  this  kid, 
and  thou  hast  not  found  her. 

24.  And  it  came  to  pass,  after  three  months,  that  it  was  told 
Judah,  saying,  Tamar  thy  daughter-in-law  hatli  played  the 
harlot ;  and  also,  behold  she  is  with  child  by  whoredom.  And 
Judah  said.  Bring  her  forth,  and  let  her  be  burnt.  25.  She 
was  brought  forth,  and  she  soit  to  lier  father-in-law,  saying. 
By  the  man  whose  these  are,  am  I  with  child.  And  she  said. 
Discern  now,  whose  are  tliesc,  the  signet  and  the  laces  and  the 
staff.  26.  And  Judah  acknowledged  them,  and  said.  She  hath 
been  more  righteous  than  I ;  for  therefore  I  gave  her  not  to 
Shelah  my  son.  And  he  knew  her  again  no  more.  27.  And 
it  came  to  pass  in  the  time  of  her  bearing,  that,  behold,  twins 
were  in  her  womb.  28.  And  it  came  to  pass  in  her  bearing, 
that  one  put  forth  a  hand ;  and  the  midwife  took  and  bound 
on  his  hand  a  scarlet  thread,  saying.  This  came  out  first.  29. 
And  it  came  to  pass,  as  he  drew  back  his  liand,  tliat,  behold 
his  brother  came  out :  and  she  said.  How  hast  thou  made  for 
thee  a  breach  ?  xind  she  called  his  name  Perez.  30.  And 
afterwards  came  out  his  brother,  that  had  on  his  hand  the 
scarlet  thread  :  and  his  name  was  called  Zerah.  §  40. 

This  strange  narrative  is  an  episode  in  the  history  of  Joseph ;  but 
an  integral  part  of  the  "  generations  "  of  Jacob.  It  is  loosely  dated 
with  the  phrase  "  at  that  time."  This  does  not  indicate  a  sequel  to  the 
preceding  record,  the  proper  phrase  for  which  is  "after  these  things" 
(ri^Nri  ni'i3'^;ri  inx  xxii.  1).  It  implies  rather  a  train  of  events  that 
commenced  at  least  in  the  past,  some  time  before  the  closing  incident 
of  the  previous  narrative  (xxi.  22).  But  the  sale  of  Joseph,  which 
alone  is  recorded  in  the  last  chapter,  only  occupied  some  few  weeks  or 
months  of  a  year.  Hence  the  circumstances  contained  in  this  memoir 
of  Judah's  family  must  have  taken  their  rise  before  that  event.  The 
date  "  at  tliat  time,"  is  rendered  indefinite  also  by  being  attached  to 


448  THE  FAMILY  OF  JUDAH. 

the  phrase,  "  And  it  came  to  pass,"  which  covers  at  least  all  the  events 
in  the  first  eleven  verses  of  the  chapter.  All  this  is  in  accordance 
with  the  customary  mode  of  arranging  parallel  lines  of  events  in  He- 
brew narrative.  We  shall  see  reason  afterwards  for  placing  the  birth 
of  Er  at  as  early  a  date  as  possible  in  the  life  of  Judah  (xlvi.  12). 
Now  Judah,  we  conceive,  was  born  when  his  father  was  eighty-seven, 
and  Joseph  when  he  was  ninety -one,  and  hence  there  is  a  difference  of 
about  four  years  in  their  ages.  We  suppose  Er  to  have  been  born  iu 
Judah's  fourteenth  year,  when  Joseph  and  Dinah  were  in  their  tenth, 
and  therefore  about  three  years  before  the  rape  of  Dinah,  and  shortly 
after  Jacob  arrived  at  the  town  of  Shekem.  The  dishonor  of  Dinah, 
and  the  cruel  treatment  of  Joseph,  being  of  essential  moment  in  the 
process  of  things,  had  to  be  recorded  in  the  main  line  of  events.  The 
commencement  of  Judah's  family,  having  no  particular  influence  on 
the  current  of  the  history,  is  fitly  reserved  till  the  whole  of  the  circum- 
stances could  be  brought  together  into  a  connected  narrative.  And 
the  private  history  of  Judah's  line  is  given,  while  that  of  the  others  is 
omitted,  simply  because  from  him  the  promised  seed  is  descended.  As 
soon  as  Jacob  is  settled  in  the  promised  land,  the  intercourse  witli  He- 
bron and  its  neighborhood  seems  to  have  commenced.  A  clear  proof 
of  this  is  the  presence  of  Deborah,  Rebekah's  nurse,  in  Jacob's  family 
(xxxv.  8).  The  great  thoroughfare  from  Damascus  to  Egypt  runs 
through  Shekem  and  Hebron,  and  we  know  that  when  Jacob  was 
residing  at  Hebron,  his  sons  fed  their  flocks  at  Shekem  and  Dothan, 
and  the  youthful  Joseph  was  sent  to  inquire  after  their  welfare. 

1-11.  Judah  marries  and  has  three  sons.  Went  doivn  from  his 
brethren.  This  seems  to  have  been  an  act  of  wilful  indiscretion  in  Ju- 
dah. His  separation  from  his  brethren,  however,  extends  only  to  the 
matter  of  his  new  connection.  In  regard  to  property  and  employment 
there  seems  to  have  been  no  long  or  entire  separation  till  they  went 
down  into  Egypt.  He  went  down  from  the  high  grounds  about  She- 
kem to  the  lowlands  in  which  AduUam  was  situated  (Jos.  xv.  33-35). 
A  certain  Adullamite.  He  may  have  become  acquainted  with  this 
Hirah,  when  visiting  his  grandfather,  or  in  some  of  the  caravans  which 
were  constantly  passing  Shekem,  or  even  in  the  ordinary  wanderings 
of  the  pastoral  life.  Adiillam  was  in  the  Shephelah  or  lowland  of 
Judah  bordering  on  Philistia  proper.  A  certain  Kenaanite.  This 
connection  with  Shua's  daughter  was  contrary  to  the  will  of  God  and 
the  example  of  his  fathers.  Onan  was  born,  we  conceive,  in  Judah's 
fifteenth  year,  and  Shelah  in  his  sixteenth. 


GEN.  xxxvm.  449 

At  Kezih.  This  appears  the  same  as  Akzib,  which  is  associated 
with  Keilah  and  Mareshah  (Jos.  xv.  44),  and  therefore  lay  in  the  south 
of  the  lowland  of  Judah.  This  note  of  place  indicates  a  change  of 
residence  since  her  other  children  were  born.  In  the  year  after  this 
birth  the  dishonor  of  Dinah  takes  place.  6.  Took  a  wife  for  Er.  Ju- 
dah chose  a  wife  for  himself  at  an  early  age,  and  now  lie  chooses  for 
his  first-born  at  the  same  age.  Was  evil  in  the  eyes  of  the  Lord.  The 
God  of  covenant  is  obliged  to  cut  off  Er  for  his  wickedness  in  the 
prime  of  life.  We  are  not  made  acquainted  with  his  crime ;  but  it 
could  scarcely  be  more  vile  and  unnatural  than  that  for  which  his 
brother  Onan  is  also  visited  with  death.  And  be  a  husband  to  her. 
The  original  word  means  to  act  as  a  husband  to  the  widow  of  a 
deceased  brother  who  has  left  no  issue.  Oaaa  seems  to  have  been 
prompted  to  commit  his  crime  by  the  low  motive  of  turning  the  whole 
inheritance  to  his  own  house.  At  the  time  of  Er's  death  Judah  must 
have  been  in  his  twenty-seventh  year ;  Joseph  was  consequently  in  his 
twenty -third,  and  Jacob  had  for  ten  years  past  had  his  headquarters  at 
Hebron.  Hence  the  intercourse  vnth  Timnah,  Adullam,  and  Enaim 
T/as  easy. 

12-23.  Judah  now  comes  into  criminal,  and,  though  unknown  to 
him,  incestuous  intercourse  with  Tamar.  And  many  loere  the  days  ; 
a  year  or  somewhat  more.  To  Timnah.  Tliis  town  is  about  twenty 
miles  northwest  of  Hebron.  There  is  another,  however,  in  the  hills 
about  seven  miles  south  of  Hebron.  Put  on  a  veil;  to  conceal  her  face 
from  Judah,  or  any  other  beholder.  The  gate  of  Enaim.  This  is 
supposed  to  be  the  same  as  Enam  (Jos.  xv.  34).  And  thy  lace.  This 
is  the  cord  by  which  the  signet  was  suspended  round  his  neck.  Cour- 
tesan. The  original  word  (srJ'np)  means  one  consecrated  to  the  wor- 
ship of  Ashtoreth,  in  which  chastity  is  sacrificed. 

24^30.  Tamar  bears  Perez  and  Zerah  to  Judah.  After  three  months 
her  pregnancy  was  manifest.  Let  her  he  burnt.  It  is  manifest  Judah 
had  the  power  to  execute  this  punishment.  The  life  of  the  widow  of 
his  son  was  in  his  hands.  Stoning  was  the  mode  of  punishment  by 
the  law  of  Moses  (Deut.  xxii.  20-24)  ;  burning,  only  in  aggravated 
cases  (Lev.  xx.  14,  xxi.  9).  He  is  a  severe  judge  in  a  case  where  he 
is  equally  criminal.  She  hath  been  more  righteous  than  I.  Tamar  was 
less  culpable  in  this  matter  than  Judah.  For  he  was  moved  by  lust 
to  commit  fornication,  and  was  the  indirect  occasion  of  Tamar's  con- 
duct by  withholding  Selah.  But  Tamar,  though  wronged,  was  not 
free  from  blame  in  her  mode  of  righting  herself.  The  youthfiil  indis^- 
57 


450  THE  FAMILY  OF  JUDAH. 

cretion  of  Judali  in  forming  an  intermarriage  with  a  Canaanitish  fam- 
ily, without  the  concurrence  of  his  brothers  or  his  father,  has  been 
fruitful  of  crime.  If  this  intercourse  go  on,  the  chosen  family  will  be 
speedily  absorbed  in  the  surrounding  heathenism.  Hence  we  begin 
to  see  the  necessity  of  an  immediate  removal  to  another  land,  where 
they  may  be  kept  more  distinct  from  the  native  superstition.  By  the 
disclosure  of  Tamar  Judah  is  brought  to  acknowledgment  of  his  fault, 
and,  we  may  infer,  to  repentance.  His  abstaining  from  all  further 
intercourse  with  her  may  be  accepted  as  a  proof  of  this.  A  scarlet 
thread.  The  right  of  primogeniture  here  manifests  its  importance. 
Perez,  —  a  breach.  Slight  incidents  become  the  foundation  of  names, 
and  are  often  the  hinges  on  which  great  events  turn.  The  minutest 
circumstances  connected  with  the  progenitors  of  the  promised  seed 
have  a  lasting  interest. 

Judah  was  at  the  close  of  his  twenty-ninth  year  when  Perez  and 
Zerah  were  born.  The  dates  in  his  family  history  may  be  arranged 
as  underneath,  on  the  supposition  that  the  first  child  was  born  when 
the  father  was  in  his  fourteenth  year.  This  hypothesis  is  fairly  allow- 
able when  we  take  into  consideration  not  only  other  cases,  but  the 
early  wilfalness  of  Judah,  and  the  example  he  gave  to  his  children. 
The  command  also  to  be  fruitful  and  multiply  (xxxv.  11),  which  was 
given  specially  to  Jacob,  may  have  had  a  tendency  to  encourage  early 
marriages.  It  is  certain  that  the  Jewish  rabbis  considered  a  man  to 
have  transgressed  a  divine  precept  who  passed  the  age  of  twenty  with- 
out being  married.  They  also  fixed  the  marriageable  age  for  males  at 
thirteen  years  and  a  day.  King  Ahaz  v/as  the  father  of  Hezekiah 
when  he  was  not  more  than  twelve  (2  Kings  xvi.  2,  xviii.  2);  and 
King  Josiah  the  father  of  Jehoiakim,  when  fourteen  years,  of  age  (2 
Kings  xxii.  1,  xxiii.  30). 


Judah  1.3 

years  6  mo 

ntlis  when  Er  was  bom. 

"      14 

"     4i 

'       when  Onan  was  bora. 

"      15 

"     3 

'       when  Shclah  was  bora. 

"      28 

"     9 

'       when  Porcz  was  born. 

"     42 

"     3 

'       when  Hczron  born  to  Perez 

"     43 

"     2 

'       when  Hainiil  born. 

GEN.  XXXIX.  451 


LXVII.    JOSEPH  IN  POTIPHAR'S  HOUSE.  — Gen.  xxxix. 

XXXIX.  1.  And  Joseph  was  brought  down  to  Mizraim ; 
and  Potiphar,  an  ofiEicer  of  Pharoh,  captain  of  the  guards,  a 
Mizrite,  bought  him  of  the  hand  of  the  Ishmaelites,  who 
brought  him  down  thither.  2.  And  the  Lord  was  with  Joseph, 
and  he  was  a  prosperous  man  ;  and  he  was  in  the  house  of  his 
master  the  Mizrite.  3.  And  his  master  saw  that  the  Lord  was 
with  him,  and  all  that  he  did  the  Lord  made  to  prosper  in  his 
hand.  4.  And  Joseph  found  favor  in  his  eyes,  and  he  served 
him :  and  he  set  him  over  his  house,  and  all  that  he  had  he 
put  into  his  hand.  5.  And  it  came  to  pass,  from  the  time 
that  he  set  him  over  his  house,  and  over  all  that  he  had,  that 
the  Lord  blessed  the  Mizrite's  house  for  Joseph's  sake ;  and 
the  blessing  of  the  Lord  was  upon  all  that  he  had  in  the 
house,  and  in  the  field.  6.  And  he  loft  all  that  he  had  in 
Joseph's  hand  ;  and  he  knew  not  aught  with  him,  save  the 
bread  which  he  did  eat.  And  Joseph  was  beautiful  in  form 
and  look. 

7.  And  it  came  to  pass  after  these  things,  that  his  master's 
wife  cast  her  eyes  upon  Joseph  :  and  she  said,  Lie  with  me. 
8.  And  he  refused,  and  said  unto  his  master's  wife,  Behold,  my 
master  knoweth  not  what  is  with  me  in  the  house,  and  all 
that  ho  hath  he  hath  put  into  my  hand.  9.  There  is  none 
greater  in  this  house  than  I,  and  he  hath  not  kept  back  from 
me  aught  but  thee,  because  thou  art  his  wife :  and  how  can  I 
do  this  great  evil,  and  sin  against  God  ?  10.  And  it  came  to 
pass,  as  she  spake  to  Joseph  day  by  day,  that  he  hearkened 
not  unto  her,  to  lie  by  her  to  be  with  her. 

11.  And  it  came  to  pass  at  this  day,  that  he  went  into  the 
house  to  do  his  business  ;  and  there  was  none  of  the  men  of  the 
house  there  within.  12.  And  she  caught  him  by  his  garment, 
saying,  Lie  with  me :  and  he  left  his  garment  in  her  hand, 
and  fled,  and  came  out  of  the  house.     13.  And  it  came  to 


452  JOSEPH  IN  POTIPIIAE'S  HOUSE. 

pass  wlieii  she  sa^v  that  he  had  left  his  garment  m  her  hand, 
and  fled  out  of  the  house,  14.  That  she  called  unto  the  men 
of  her  house,  and  said  unto  them,  saying,  See,  he  hath  brought 
in  to  us  a  Hebrew  to  mock  us ;  he  came  in  unto  me  to  lie  with 
me,  and  I  cried  with  a  loud  voice.  15.  And  it  came  to  pass 
vvhen  he  heard  that  I  lifted  up  my  voice  and  cried,  that  he 
left  his  garment  by  me,  and  fled,  and  went  out  of  the  house. 
IG.  And  she  laid  up  his  garment  by  her,  until  his  master  came 
home.  17.  And  she  spake  unto  him  according  to  these  words, 
saying,  the  Hebrew  servant,  whom  thou  hast  brought  in  to  us, 
came  in  unto  me  to  mock  me.  18.  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  I 
lifted  up  my  voice  and  cried,  that  he  left  his  garment  by  me, 
and  fled  out  of  the  house. 

19.  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  his  master  heard  the  words 
of  his  wife,  which  she  spake  unto  him,  saying.  After  this  man- 
ner did  thy  servant  unto  me,  that  his  wrath  was  kindled.  20. 
And  Joseph's  master  took  him,  and  put  him  into  the  prison, 
the  place  where  the  king's  prisoners  were  bound  :  and  he  was 
there  in  the  prison,  21.  And  the  Lord  was  with  Joseph,  and 
showed  him  mercy,  and  gave  him  favor  in  the  eyes  of  the 
keeper  of  the  prison.  22.  And  the  keeper  of  the  prison  put 
into  Joseph's  hand  all  the  prisoners  that  were  in  the  prison ; 
and  of  all  that  they  did  there  he  was  the  doer.  23.  The 
keeper  of  tlie  prison  looked  not  to  aught  in  his  hand,  because 
the  Lord  was  with  him,  and  that  which  he  did  the  Lord  made 
to  prosper.  f  36. 

According  to  our  reckoning,  Perez  and  Zerah  were  born  when 
Judah  was  in  his  twenty-eigLth  year,  and  therefore  Joseph  in  his 
tv/enty-fourth.  Here,  then,  we  go  back  seven  years  to  resume  the 
story  of  Joseph. 

1-G.  Joseph  fares  well  with  his  first  master.  Potvphar.  This  is  a 
racapitulation  of  the  narrative  in  oh.  xxxvii.  The  Lord  ;  the  God  of 
covenant  is  with  Joseph.  In  the  house.  Joseph  was  a  domestic  ser- 
vant. And  his  master  saio.  The  prosperity  that  attended  all  Joseph's 
doings  was  so  striking  as  to  show  that  the  Lord  was  with  him.     Set 


GEN.  XL.  453 

him  over,  —  made  him  overseer  of  all  that  was  in  his  house.  .  The 
Lord  blessed  the  Mizrite's  house.  He  blesses  those  who  bless  his  own 
(xii.  3).  Beautifulin  form  and  look  (xxix.  17).  This  prepares  the 
way  for  the  following  occurrence. 

7-10.  Joseph  resists  the  daily  solicitations  of  his  master's  wife  to  lie 
with  her.  None  greater  in  this  house  than  I.  He  pleads  the  unre- 
served trust  his  master  had  reposed  in  him.  He  is  bound  by  the  law 
of  honor,  the  law  of  chastity  (this  great  evil),  and  the  law  of  piety  (sin 
against  God).  Joseph  uses  the  common  name  of  God  in  addressing 
this  Egyptian.     He  could  employ  no  higher  pleas  than  the  above. 

11-18.  At  this  day, —  the  day  on  which  the  occurrence  now  to  be 
related  took  place.  To  do  his  business.  He  does  not  come  in  her 
way  except  at  the  call  of  duty.  He  hath  brought  in.  She  either  docs 
not  condescend,  or  does  not  need  to  name  her  husband.  A  Hebrew  to 
moch  us.  Her  disappointment  now  provokes  her  to  falsehood  as  the 
means  of  concealment  and  revenge.  A  Hebrew  is  still  the  only  na- 
tional designation  proper  to  Joseph  (xiv.  13).  Jacob's  descendants 
had  not  got  beyond  the  family.  The  term  Israelite  was  therefore  not 
yet  in  use.  The  national  name  is  designedly  used  as  a  term  of  re- 
pi-oach  among  the  Egyptians  (xliii.  32).  To  moch  us,  —  to  take  im- 
proper liberties,  not  only  with  me,  but  with  any  of  the  females  in  the 
house.  I  cried  with  a  loud  voice.  This  is  intended  to  be  the  proof  of 
her  innocence  (Deut.  xxii.  24,  27).  Left  his  garments  by  me  ;  not  in 
her  hand,  which  would  have  been  suspicious. 

19-23.  Her  husband  believes  her  story,  and  naturally  resents  the 
supposed  unfaithfulness  of  his  slave.  His  treatment  of  him  is  mild. 
He  puts  him  in  ward,  probably  to  stand  his  trial  for  the  offence.  The 
Lord  does  not  forsake  the  prisoner.  He  gives  him  favor  with  the 
governor  of  the  jail.  The  same  unlimited  trust  is  placed  in  him  by 
the  governor  as  by  his  late  master. 


LXVIII.    JOSEPH  IN  PRISON.  — Gen.  xl. 

XL.  1.  And  it  came  to  pass  after  these  things,  that  the  but- 
ler of  the  king  of  Mizraim  and  the  baker  had  sinned  against 
their  master,  the  king  of  Mizraim.  2.  And  Pharoh  was  wroth 
against  two  of  his  officers,  against  the  chief  butler,  and  against 


454  JOSEPH  IN  PRISON. 

the  chief  baker.  3.  And  he  put  them  in  ward,  in  the  house  of 
the  captain  of  the  guards,  in  the  prison,  the  place  where  Jo- 
seph was  bound.  4.  And  the  captain  of  the  guards  charged 
Joseph  with  them,  and  he  ministered  to  them,  and  they  were 
some  days  in  ward. 

5.  And  they  dreamed  a  dream,  both  of  them,  each  his 
dream  in  one  night,  each  according  to  the  interpretation  of 
his  dream,  the  butler  and  the  baker  of  the  king  of  Mizraim, 
who  Avere  bound  in  the  prison.  6.  And  Joseph  went  in  to 
them  in  the  morning,  and  looked  upon  them,  and,  behold,  they 
were  sad.  7.  And  he  asked  Pharoh's  officers  that  were  witli 
him  in  the  ward  of  his  master's  house,  saying,  Why  are  your 
faces  bad  to-day  ?  8.  And  they  said  unto  him^  A  dream  have 
we  dreamed,  and  there  is  no  interpreter  of  it.  And  Joseph 
said  unto  them.  Do  not  interpretations  belong  to  God  ?  Tell 
them  now  to  me. 

9.  And  the  chief  butler  told  his  dream  to  Joseph,  and  said 
unto  him,  I  was  in  my  dream,  and,  behold,  a  vine  was  before 
me  ;  10.  And  in  the  vine  three  branches  :  and  as  it  budded, 
its  blossom  shot  up,  and  the  clusters  thereof  yielded  ripe 
grapes.  11.  And  Pharoh's  cup  was  in  my  hand :  and  I  took 
the  grapes,  and  pressed  them  into  Pharoh's  cup,  and  gave  the 
cup  into  Pharoh's  hand.  12.  And  Joseph  said  unto  him.  This 
is  the  interpretation  of  it :  The  three  branches  are  three  days. 

13.  In  yet  three  days  shall  Pharoh  lift  up  thy  head  and  restore 
thee  unto  thy  place ;  and  thou  shalt  give  Pharoh's  cup  into 
his  hand,  after  the  former  manner  when  thou  wast  his  butler. 

14.  But  remember  me  when  it  shall  be  well  with  thee,  and 
show  unto  me  kindness,  and  mention  me  unto  Pharoh,  and 
bring  me  out  of  this  house.  15.  For  stolen,  stolen  was  I  from 
the  land  of  the  Hebrews,  and  also  here  I  have  not  done  aught 
that  they  should  put  me  into  the  pit. 

16.  And  the  chief  baker  saw  that  the  interpretation  was 
good,  and  he  said  unto  Joseph,  I  also  was  in  my  dream,  and, 
behold,  three  baskets  of  white  bread  on  my  head.     17.  And 


GEN.  XL.  455 

in  the  uppermost  basket  all  manner  of  baked  meats  for  Pharoh ; 
and  the  birds  did  eat  them  out  of  the  basket  on  my  head.  18. 
And  Joseph  answered  and  said,  This  is  the  interpretation  there- 
of:  The  three  baskets  are  three  days.  19.  In  yet  three  days 
shall  Pharoh  lift  up  thy  head  from  upon  thee,  and  shall  hang 
thee  on  a  tree :  and  the  birds  shall  eat  thy  flesh  from  upon  thee. 
20.  And  it  came  to  pass  on  the  third  day,  the  birthday  of 
Pharoh,  that  he  made  a  feast  unto  all  his  servants :  and  he 
lifted  up  the  head  of  the  chief  butler  and  of  the  chief  baker 
among  his  servants.  21.  And  he  restored  the  chief  butler  to 
his  butlership ;  and  he  gave  the  cup  into  Pharoh's  hand.  22. 
And  the  chief  baker  he  hanged :  as  Joseph  had  interpreted  to 
them.  23.  And  the  chief  butler  remembered  not  Joseph,  and 
foro-ot  him.  10  Hn  37. 


An  unmurmuring  patience  and  an  unhesitating  hopefulness  keep 
the  breast  of  Joseph  in  calm  tranquillity.  There  is  a  God  above,  and 
that  God  is  with  him.  His  soul  swerves  not  from  this  feeling.  Mean- 
while, new  and  distinguished  prisoners  are  introduced  into  his  place  of 
confinement. 

1-4.  The  chief  butler  and  chief  baker,  high  officials  in  Pharoh's 
court,  come  under  the  displeasure  of  their  sovei'eign.  In  the  house  of 
the  captain  of  the  guards.  It  appears  that  this  officer's  establishment 
contained  the  keep  in  which  Joseph  and  these  criminals  were  confined. 
Charged  Joseph  loith  them.  As  Joseph  was  his  slave,  and  these  were 
state  prisoners,  he  appointed  him  to  wait  upon  them.  It  is  probable 
that  Joseph's  character  had  been  somewhat  reestablished  with  him 
during  his  residence  in  the  prison. 

5-8.  These  prisoners  dream,  each  according  to  the  interpretation  of 
his  dream,  the  imagery  of  which  was  fitted  to  indicate  his  future  state. 
They  were  sad,  —  anxious  to  know  the  meaning  of  these  impressive 
dreams.  Whg  are  your  faces  bad  to-day  ?  Joseph  keeps  up  his  char- 
acter of  frank  composure.  Do  not  interpretations  belong  to  God  ?  la 
his  past  history  he  had  learned  that  dreams  themselves  come  from 
God.  And  when  he  adds,  Tell  them  now  to  me,  he  intimates  that  God 
would  enable  him  to  interpret  their  dreams.  Here  again  he  uses  the 
general  name  of  God,  Avhich  was  common  to  him  with  the  heathen. 


456  JOSEPH  IN  PRISON. 

9-15.  Tlie  chief  butler  now  recites  his  dream.  Pressed  them  into 
PharoJis  cup.  The  imagery  of  the  dream  is  not  intended  to  intimate 
that  Pharoh  drank  only  the  fresh  juice  of  the  grape.  It  only  ex- 
presses by  a  natural  figure  the  source  of  wine,  and  possibly  the  duty 
of  the  chief  butler  to  understand  and  superintend  the  whole  process 
of  its  formation.  Egypt  was  not  only  a  corn,  but  a  vine  country. 
The  interpretation  of  this  dream  was  very  obvious  and  natural ;  yet 
not  without  a  divine  intimation  could  it  be  known  that  the  three 
hranches  were  three  days.  Joseph,  in  the  quiet  confidence  that  his 
interpretation  would  prove  correct,  begs  the  chief  butler  to  remember 
him  and  endeavor  to  procure  his  release.  Stolen,  stolen  was  I.  He 
assures  him  that  he  "was  not  a  criminal,  and  that  his  enslavement  was 
an  act  of  wrongful  violence  —  a  robbery  by  the  strong  hand.  From  the 
land  of  the  Hebrews ;  a  very  remarkable  expression,  as  it  strongly 
favors  the  presumption  that  the  Hebrews  inhabited  the  country  before 
Kenaan  took  possession  of  it.  I  have  not  done  aught.  Joseph  pleads 
innocence,  and  claims  liberation,  not  as  an  unmerited  favor,  but  as  a 
right.  The  pit.  The  pit  without  water  seems  to  have  been  the 
primitive  place  of  confinement  for  culprits. 

16-19,  The  chief  baker  is  encouraged  by  this  interpretation  to  tell 
his  dream.  /  also.  He  anticipates  a  favorable  answer,  from  the 
remarkable  lilceness  of  the  dreams.  On  my  head.  It  appears  from  the 
monuments  of  Egypt  that  it  was  the  custom  for  men  to  carry  articles 
on  their  heads.  All  manner  of  hahed  meats  were  also  characteristic  of 
a  corn  country.  Lift  up  thy  head  from  upon  thee.  This  part  of  the 
interpretation  proves  its  divine  origin.  And  hang  thee,  —  thy  body, 
after  being  beheaded.     This  was  a  constant  warning  to  all  beholders. 

20-23.  The  interpretations  prove  correct.  The  birthday  of  Pharoh. 
It  is  natural  and  proper  for  men  to  celebrate  with  thanksgiving  the 
day  of  their  birth,  as  life  is  a  pure  and  positive  blessing.  The  benign 
Creator  gives  only  a  happy  and  precious  form  of  existence  to  those 
whom  he  endows  with  the  capacity  of  estimating  its. value.  A  birtli- 
day  feast  cannot  be  without  a  chief  butler  and  a  chief  baker,  and 
hence  the  fate  of  these  criminals  must  be  promptly  decided.  Lifted 
up  the  head ;  a  phrase  of  double  meaning.  The  chief  butler  remem- 
bers not  Joseph,  This  is  a  case  of  frequent  occurrence  in  this  nether 
world.  But  there  is  One  above  who  does  not  forget  him.  He  will 
deliver  him  at  the  proper  time. 


GEN.  XLI.  457 


LXIX.    JOSEPH  EXALTED.  —  Gen.  xli. 

1.  ^k*!.  river,  canal,  mostly  applied  to  the  Nile.  Some  suppose  the 
word  to  be  Coptic. 

2.  ^"J?  sedge,  reed-grass,  7narsh-grass.  This  word  is  probably 
Coptic. 

8.  d^a:?"!!!  i^rjyrjToi,  lepoypa/xjaaTets,  sacred  scribes,  hieroglyphs. 
O'ln  stylus,  a  graving  tool. 

43.  ""^^J?  bend  the  knee.  In  this  sense  it  is  put  for  T^yy'^  imp. 
hiph.  of  Ti'^a.  Those  who  take  the  word  to  be  Coptic  render  it  vari- 
ously, —  bow  all,  bow  the  head,  cast  thyself  down. 

45.  ti3"3  f^??^  Tsaphenath-pa'neach,  in  the  Septuagint  \^ov%ii- 
ffiav-Qx-  Revelator  occulti,  Kimchi.  This  is  founded  on  an  attempted 
Hebrew  derivation,  Swri^p  Koa-fjLov  in  Oxf.  MS.,  servator  mundi,  Je- 
rome. These  point  to  a  Coptic  origin.  Eecent  Egyptologists  give 
P-sont-em-ph-anh,  the-salvation-of-the-Ufe  or  world.  This  is  a  high- 
flowing  title,  in  keeping  with  Eastern  phraseology.  J^5SN  Asenath, 
j)erhaps  belonging  to  Neith,  or  worshipper  of  Neith,  a  goddess  corre- 
sponding to  Athene  of  the  Greeks.  S'lS  iipiB  Potiphera',  seems  to  be 
a  variation  of  ^S'^qia  Potiphar  (xxxvii.  3G).  "jk  or  "jix  On  =  Oein, 
light,  sun  ;  on  the  monuments  ta-ka,  house  of  the  sun.  ^"tyq  n^a  (Jer. 
xiiii.  13),  Ilellopolis,  north  of  Memphis,  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Nile. 

51.  fi^yo  Menasheh,  causing  to  forget. 

52.  Q"\'^S5<  Ephraim,  double  fruit. 


XLI.  1.  And  it  came  to  pass  at  the  end  of  two  years  of 
days,  that  Pliaroh  dreamed,  and,  lo,  he  stood  by  the  river.  2. 
And,  behold,  from  the  river  came  up  seven  kine,  fine-looking 
and  fat-iieshed  ;  and  they  fed  on  the  green.  3.  And,  behold, 
seven  other  kme  came  up  after  them  from  the  river,  ill-looking 
and  lean-fleshed,  and  stood  by  the  other  kine  on  the  bank 
of  the  river.  4.  And  the  ill-looking  and  lean-fleshed  kine 
did  eat  up  the  seven  fine-looking  and  fat  kine.  And  Pharoh 
awoke.  5.  And  he  slept,  and  dreamed  a  second  time :  and, 
behold,  seven  ears  of  corn  came  up  on  one  stalk,  rank  and 
good.  6.  And  behold  seven  ears,  thin  and  blasted  with  the 
58 


458  JOSEPH  EXALTED. 

east  wind,  sprang  up  after  them.  7.  And  the  thin  ears  de- 
voured the  seven  rank  and  full  ears.  And  Pharoh  awoke, 
and,  behold,  it  was  a  dream.  8.  And  it  came  to  pass  in  the 
morning  that  his  spirit  was  troubled  ;  and  he  sent  and  called 
for  all  the  scribes  of  Mizraim,  and  all  the  sages  thereof:  and 
Pharoh  told  them  his  dream  ;  and  no  one  interpreted  them  to 
Pharoh. 

9.  Then  spake  tlie  chief  butler  unto  Pharoh,  saying,  My 
sins  do  I  remember  this  day.  10.  Pharoh  was  wroth  with  his 
servants  ;  and  he  put  mo  in  ward  in  the  house  of  the  captain 
of  the  guards,  me  and  the  chief  baker.  11.  And  we  dreamed 
a  dream  in  one  night,  I  and  ho  :  each  according  to  the  inter- 
pretation of  his  dream  dreamed  we.  12.  And  there  with  us 
was  a  Hebrew  lad,  servant  to  the  captain  of  the  guards  ;  and 
we  told  him,  and  he  interpreted  to  us  our  dreams  :  to  each 
according  to  his  dream  he  interpreted.  13.  And  it  came  to 
pass  that,  as  he  interpreted  to  us,  so  it  was  :  me  he  restored 
to  my  office,  and  him  he  hanged. 

14.  Then  sent  Pharoh  and  called  Joseph,  and  they  brought 
him  hastily  out  of  the  pit :  and  he  shaved,  and  changed  his 
garments,  and  went  in  unto  Pharoh.  15.  And  Pharoh  said 
unto  Joseph,  A  dream  have  I  dreamed,  and  no  one  can  inter- 
pret it:  and  I  have  heard  say  of  thee,  thou  canst  hear  a  dream 
to  interpret  it.  IG.  And  Joseph  answered  Pharoh,  saying. 
Not  I :  God  shall  answer  to  the  peace  of  Pharoh.  17.  And 
Pharoh  spake  unto  Joseph  :  I  was  in  my  dream,  and,  behold,  I 
stood  upon  the  bank  of  the  river.  18.  And,  behold,  from  the 
river  camo  up  seven  kine,  fat-fleshed  and  fine  in  form :  and 
they  fed  on  the  green.  19.  And,  behold,  seven  other  kine 
came  up  after  them,  poor  and  very  ill-formed  and  lean-fleshed : 
I  have  seen  none  like  them  in  all  the  land  of  Mizraim  for  bad- 
ness. 20.  And  the  lean  and  bad  kine  did  eat  up  the  first 
seven  fat  kino.  21.  And  they  went  into  them,  and  it  could 
not  be  known  that  they  had  gone  into  them ;  and  their  look 


GEN.  XLI.  459 

was  bad,  as  at  the  beginning :  and  I  awoke.  22.  And  I  saw 
in  my  dream,  and,  behold,  seven  ears  came  iip  on  one  stalk, 
full  and  good.  23.  And,  behold,  seven  ears,  withered,  thin, 
blasted  with  the  east  wind,  sprang  up  after  them.  24.  And 
the  thin  ears  devoured  the  seven  good  ears :  and  I  told  the 
scribes,  and  no  one  showed  it  to  me. 

25.  And  Joseph  said  unto  Pharoh,  The  dream  of  Fharoh  is 
one:  what  the  God  is  about  to  do  hath  he  shown  to  Pharoh. 
26.  The  seven  good  kine  are  seven  years  ;  and  the  seven  good 
ears  are  seven  years  :  it  is  one  dream.  27.  And  the  seven 
thin  and  bad  kine  coming  up  after  them  are  seven  years ;  and 
the  seven  empty  ears  blasted  with  the  east  wind  :  they  shall 
be  seven  years  of  famine.  28.  This  is  the  word  that  I  have 
spoken  unto  Pharoh :  what  the  God  is  about  to  do  he  hath 
shown  Pharoh.  29.  Boliold,  seven  years  come  of  great  plenty 
in  all  the  land  of  Mizraim.  30.  Then  shall  arise  seven  years 
of  famine  after  them,  and  all  the  plenty  shall  be  forgotten  in 
the  land  of  Mizraim :  and.  the  famine  shall  consume  the 
land.  31.  And  the  plenty  shall  not  be  known  in  the  land 
by  reason  of  that  famine  afterwards ;  for  it  shall  be  very 
grievous.  32.  And  because  the  dream  was  repeated  to  Pha- 
roh twice,  the  thing  is  established  by  the  God,  and  the  God 
hastens  to  do  it..  33.  And.  now  let  Pharoh  look  out  a  man 
discreet  and  wise,  and  set  him  over  the  land  of  Mizraim.  34. 
Let  Pharoh  proceed  and  appoint  overseers  over  the  land. :  and 
take  the  fifth  of  the  land  of  Mizraim  in  the  seven  years  of 
plenty.  85.  And.  let  them  gather  all  the  food  of  those  good 
years  that  come,  and  lay  up  corn  under  the  hand  of  Pharoh, 
food  in  the  cities,  and  let  them  keep  it.  36.  And  the  food, 
shall  be  for  store  for  the  land,  for  the  seven  years  of  famine 
that  shall  be  in  the  land  of  Mizraim,  and  the  land  shall  not  be 
cut  off  by  the  famine. 

37.  And  the  thing  was  good  in  the  eyes  of  Pharoh,  and  in 
the  eyes  of  all  his  servants.     38.  And  Pharoh  said  unto  his 


4G0  JOSEPH  EXALTED. 

servants,  Can  we  find  a  man  like  this,  in  whom  is  the  Spirit 
of  God  ? 

39.  And  Pharoh  said  unto  Joseph,  After  God  hath  shown 
tljee  all  this,  none  is  so  discreet  and  wise  as  thou  art.  40. 
Thou  shalt  be  over  my  house,  and  according  to  thy  mouth 
shall  all  my  people  behave  :  only  in  the  throne  will  I  be 
greater  than  thou.  41.  And  Pharoh  said  unto  Joseph,  Sec, 
I  have  set  thee  over  all  the  land  of  Mizraim.  42.  And  Pha- 
roh took  his  ring  from  his  hand  and  put  it  upon  Joseph's 
hand,  and  arrayed  him  in  vestures  of  fine  linen,  and  put  a 
gold  cliain  about  his  neck.  43.  And  he  made  him  ride  in  the 
second  chariot  which  he  had  ;  and  they  cried  before  him,  Bow 
the  knee.  And  he  set  him  over  all  the  land  of  Mizraim.  44. 
And  Pharoh  said  unto  Joseph,  I  am  Pharoh,  and  without  thee 
shall  no  man  lift  up  his  hand  or  foot  in  all  the  land  of  Miz- 
raim. 45.  And  Pharoh  called  Joseph's  name  Zaphenathpa- 
neah  ;  and  he  gave  him  Asenath,  daughter  of  Potiphera,  priest 
of  On,  to  wife.  And  Joseph  went  out  over  the  land  of  Miz- 
raim. 4G.  And  Joseph  was  the  son  of  thirty  years  when  he 
stood  before  Pharoli  king  of  Mizraim.  And  Joseph  went  out 
from  the  face  of  Pharoh,  and  passed  through  all  the  land  of 
]\Iizraim. 

47.  And  the  land  yielded  in  tlie  seven  years  of  plenty  by 
handfuls.  43.  And  he  gatliercd  all  the  food  of  the  seven 
years  which  were  in  the  land  of  Mizraim,  and  laid  up  food  in 
tlie  cities  :  the  food  of  the  field  which  was  around  every  city 
kiid  he  up  tlicrein.  40.  And  Joseph  gathered  corn  as  tlie 
sand  of  the  sea  very  much,  until  he  loft  numbering,  because 
there  was  no  number. 

50.  And  unto  Joseph  were  born  two  sons  before  the  year  of 
the  famine  came,  whom  Asenath,  daughter  of  Potiphera,  priest 
of  On,  bare  unto  him.  51.  And  Joseph  called  the  name  of 
the  first-born  Menasseh  :  For  God  hath  made  me  forget  all 
my  toil  and  all  my  father's  house.     52.  And  the  name  of  the 


GEN.  XLI.  461 

second  called  he  Ephraim  :   For  God  hatli  made  me  fruitful 
in  the  land  of  my  affliction. 

53.  Then  were  finished  the  seven  years  of  plenty  tliat  was 
in  the  land  of  Mizraim.  54.  And  the  seven  years  of  famine 
began  to  come,  according  as  Joseph  had  said  ;  and  there  was 
famine  in  all  the  land,  and  in  the  land  of  Mizraim  there  was 
bread.  55.  And  all  the  land  of  Mizraim  famished,  and  the  peo- 
ple cried  to  Pharoh  for  bread ;  and  Pharoh  said  unto  all  Miz- 
raim, Go  unto  Joseph :  what  he  saith  to  you,  do.  56.  And  the 
famine  was  over  all  the  face  of  the  land  ;  and  Joseph  opened 
all  places  in  which  there  was  food,  and  sold  unto  Mizraim ; 
and  the  famine  was  severe  in  the  land  of  Mizraim.  57.  And 
all  the  land  came  into  Mizraim  to  buy,  unto  Joseph  ;  for  the 
famine  was  severe  in  all  the  land. 


Here  we  have  the  double  di-eam  of  Pharoli  interpreted  by  Josej)!!,  in 
consequence  of  which  he  is  elevated  over  aU  the  land  of  Egypt. 

1-8.  The  dreams  are  recited.  By  the  river.  In  the  dream  Pha- 
roh supposes  himself  on  the  banks  of  the  Nile.  On  the  green.  The 
original  word  denotes  the  reed,  or  marsh  grass,  on  the  banks  of  the 
Nile.  The  cow  is  a  very  significant  emblem  of  fruitful  nature  among 
the  Egyptians,  the  hieroglyphic  symbol  of  the  earth  and  of  agriculture  ; 
and  the  form  in  which  Isis  the  goddess  of  the  earth  was  adored.  5-7. 
Dreamed  a  second  time.  The  repetition  is  designed  to  confirm  the 
warning  given,  as  Joseph  afterwards  explains  (v.  32).  Corn  is  the 
natural  emblem  of  fertility  and  nurture.  Blasted  with  the  east  wind. 
The  east  wind  is  any  wind  coming  from  the  east  of  the  meridian,  and 
may  be  a  southeast  or  a  northeast,  as  well  as  a  direct  east.  The  He- 
brews were  wont  to  speak  only  of  the  four  winds,  and,  therefore,  must 
have  used  the  name  of  each  with  great  latitude.  The  blasting  wind  in 
Egypt  is  said  to  be  usually  from  the  southeast.  And,  behold,  it  was  a 
dream.  The  impression  was  so  distinct  as  to  be  taken  for  the  reahty, 
until  he  awoke  and  perceived  that  it  was  only  a  dream.  8.  His  spirit 
was  troubled.  Like  the  officers  in  the  prison  (xl.  G),  he  could  not  get 
rid  of  the  feeling  that  the  twofold  dream  portended  some  momentous 
event.     The  scribes,  —  the  hieroglyphs,  who  belonged  to  the  priestly 


4G2  JOSEPH  EXALTED. 

caste,  and  whose  primary  business  was  to  make  hieroglyphic  and  other 
inscriptions  ;  while  they  were  wont  to  consult  the  stars,  interpret 
dreams,  practise  soothsaying,  and  pursue  the  other  occult  arts.  The 
sages ;  whose  chief  business  was  the  cultivation  of  the  various  arts 
above  mentioned,  while  the  engraving  or  inscribing  department  strictly 
belonged  to  the  hieroglyphs  or  scribes.  His  dream;  the  twofold 
dream.     Interpreted  them,  —  the  two  dreams. 

9-13.  The  chief  butler  now  calls  Joseph  to  mind,  and  mentions  his 
gift  to  Pharoh.  Mij  sins.  His  offence  against  Pharoh.  His  ingrati- 
tude in  forgetting  Joseph  for  two  years  does  not  perhaps  occur  to  him 
as  a  sin.  A.  Ilcbreio  lad.  The  Egyptians  were  evidently  well  ac- 
quainted with  the  Hebrew  race,  at  a  time  when  Israel  had  only  a  fam- 
ily. Him  he  hanged.  The  phrase  is  worthy  of  note,  as  a  specimen 
of  pithy  breviloquence.  Him  he  declared  that  the  dream  foreboded 
that  Pharoh  would  hang. 

14-24.  Pharoh  sends  for  Joseph,  who  is  hastily  brought  from  the 
prison.  He  shaved.  The  Egyptians  were  accustomed  to  shave  the 
head  and  beard,  except  in  times  of  mourning  (Herod,  ii.  32).  Canst 
hear  a  dream  to  interpret  it,  —  needest  only  to  hear  in  order  to  interpret 
it.  Not  I:  God  shall  answer.  According  to  his  uniform  habit  Joseph 
ascribes  the  gift  that  is  in  him  to  God.  To  the  peace  of  Pharoh,  —  so 
that  Pharoh  may  reap  the  advantage.  In  form.  This  takes  the  place 
of  "  in  look,"  in  the  former  account.  Other  slight  variations  in  the 
terms  occur.     And  they  loent  into  them,  —  into  their  stomachs. 

25-3 G.  Joseph  now  proceeds  to  interpi-et  the  dream,  and  offer  coun- 
sel suitable  to  the  emei'gency.  What  the  God  is  about  to  do.  The 
God,  the  one  true,  living,  eternal  God,  in  opposition  to  all  false  gods. 
And  because  the  dream  teas  repeated.  This  is  explained  to  denote  the 
certainty  and  immediatcness  of  the  event.  The  beautiful  elucidation 
of  the  dream  needs  no  comment.  33-3G.  Joseph  now  naturally  passes 
from  the  interpreter  to  the  adviser.  He  is  all  himself  on  this  critical 
occasion.  His  presence  of  mind  never  forsakes  him.  The  openness 
of  heart  and  readiness  of  speech,  for  which  he  was  early  distinguished, 
now  stand  him  in  good  stead.  His  thorough  self-command  arises  from 
spontaneously  throwing  himself,  with  all  his  heart,  into  the  great  na- 
tional emergency  which  is  before  his  mind.  And  his  native  simplicity 
of  heart,  practical  good  sense,  and  force  of  character  break  forth  into 
unasked,  but  not  unaccepted  counsel.  A  mail  discreet,  —  intelligent, 
capable  of  understanding  the  occasion  ;  toise,  prudent,  capable  of  acting 


GEN.  XLI.  463 

accordingly.  Let  PharGli  proceed, — take  the  following  steps.  Take 
the  fifth  of  the  produce  of  the  land.  Under  the  hand  of  Pharoh.  Un- 
der his  supreme  conti'ol.  The  measures  here  suggested  to  Pharoh 
were,  we  must  suppose,  in  conformity  Avith  the  civil  institutions  of  the 
country.  The  exaction  of  a  fifth,  or  two  tithes,  during  the  period  of 
plenty,  may  have  been  an  extraordinary  measure,  which  the  absolute 
power  of  the  monarch  enabled  him  to  enforce  for  the  public  safety. 
The  sovereign  was  probably  dependent  for  his  revenues  on  the  pro- 
duce of  the  crown  lands,  certain  taxes  on  exports  or  imports,  and  occa- 
sional gifts  or  forced  contributions  from  his  subjects.  This  extraordinary 
fifth  was,  probably,  of  the  last  description,  and  was  fully  warranted 
by  the  coming  emergency.  The  "gathering  up  of  all  the  food"  may 
imply  that,  in  addition  to  the  fifth,  large  purchases  of  corn  were  made 
by  the  government  out  of  the  surplus  produce  of  the  country. 

37-46.  Pharoh  approves  of  his  counsel,  and  selects  him  as  "  the 
discreet  and  wise  man  "  for  carrying  it  into  effect.  In  whom  is  the 
Spirit  of  God.  He  acknowledges  the  gift  that  is  in  Joseph  to  be  from 
God.  All  my  people  hehave,  —  dispose  or  order  their  conduct,  a  pecu- 
liar meaning  of  this  word,  which  usually  signifies  to  kiss.  His  ring. 
His  signet-ring  gave  Joseph  the  delegated  power  of  the  sovereign,  and 
constituted  him  his  prime  minister  or  grand  vizier.  Vestures  of  fine 
linen.  Egypt  was  celebrated  for  its  flax,  and  for  the  fineness  of  its 
textures.  The  priests  were  arra3'ed  in  ofiicial  robes  of  linen,  and  no 
man  was  allowed  to  enter  a  temple  in  a  woollen  garment  (Herod,  ii. 
37,  81).  A  gold  chain  about  his  neck.  This  was  a  badge  of  office 
worn  in  Egypt  by  the  judge  and  the  prime  minister.  It  had  a  similar 
use  in  Persia  and  Babylonia  (Dan.  v.  7).  The  second  chariot.  Egvpt 
was  noted  for  chariots,  both  for  peaceful  and  for  warlike  purposes 
(Herod,  ii.  108).  The  second  in  the  public  procession  was  assigned 
to  Joseph.  Bow  the  knee.  The  various  explications  of  this  proclama- 
tion agree  in  denoting  a  form  of  obeisance,  with  which  Joseph  was  to 
be  honored.  /  am  Pharoh,  the  king  (xii.  15).  Without  thee  shall  no 
man  lift  up  his  hand  or  foot.  Thou  art  next  to  me,  and  without  thee 
no  man  shall  act  or  move.  Zaphenath-paneah.  Pharoh  designates 
him  the  preserver  of  life,  as  the  interpreter  of  the  dream  and  the  pro- 
poser of  the  plan  by  which  the  country  was  saved  from  famine.  He 
thus  naturalizes  him  so  far  as  to  render  his  civil  status  compatible  with 
liis  official  rank.  Asenath.  The  priests  were  the  highest  and  most 
privileged  class  in  Egypt.     Intermarriage  with  this  caste  at  once  deter- 


464  JOSEPH  EXALTED. 

mined  the  social  position  of  the  wondrous  foreigner.  His  father-in-law 
Avas  priest  of  On,  a  city  dedicated  to  the  worship  of  the  sun. 

With  our  Western  and  modern  habit  we  may  at  the  first  glance  be 
surprised  to  find  a  stranger  of  a  despised  race  suddenly  elevated  to  the 
second  place  in  the  kingdom.  But  in  ancient  and  Eastern  govern- 
ments, which  were  of  a  despotic  character,  such  changes,  depending  on 
the  will  of  the  sovereign,  were  by  no  means  unusual.  Secondly,  the 
conviction  that  "  the  Spirit  of  God  was  in  "  the  mysterious  stranger, 
was  sufficient  to  overbear  all  opposing  feelings  or  customs.  And,  lastly, 
it  was  assumed  and  acted  on,  as  a  self-evident  fact,  that  the  illustrious 
stranger  could  have  no  possible  objection  to  be  incorporated  into  the  most 
ancient  of  nations,  and  allied  with  its  noblest  families.  We  may  imagine 
that  Joseph  would  find  an  insuperable  difficuky  in  becoming  a  chizen  of 
Egypt  or  a  son-in-law  of  the  priest  of  the  sun.  But  we  should  not  forget 
that  the  world  was  yet  too  young  to  have  arrived  at  the  rigid  and  sharply- 
defined  systems  of  polytheism  or  allotheism  to  which  we  are  accustomed. 
Some  gray  streaks  of  a  pure  monotheism,  of  the  knowledge  of  the  one 
true  God,  stiil  gleamed  across  the  sky  of  human  memory.  Some  faint 
traces  of  one  common  brotherhood  among  mankind  still  lingered  in  the 
recollections  of  the  past.  The  Pharoh  of  Abraham's  day  feels  the 
power  of  him  whose  name  is  Jehovah  (xii.  17).  Abimelek  ac- 
knowledges the  God  of  Abraham  and  Isaac  (xx.  3-7,  xxi.  22,  23, 
xxvi.  28,  29).  And  while  Joseph  is  frank  and  faithful  in  acknowledg- 
ing the  true  God  before  the  king  of  Egypt,  Pharoh  himself  is  not  slow 
to  recognize  the  man  in  whom  the  Spirit  of  God  is.  Having  experi- 
enced the  omniscience  and  omnipotence  of  Joseph's  God,  he  was  pre- 
jDared,  no  doubt,  not  only  himself  to  offer  him  such  adoration  as  he  was 
wont  to  pay  to  his  national  gods,  but  also  to  allow  Joseph  full  liberty 
to  worship  the  God  of  his  fathers,  and  to  bring  up  his  family  in  that 
faith. 

Joseph  was  now  in  his  thirtieth  year,  and  had  consequently  been 
thirteen  years  in  Egypt,  most  part  of  which  interval  he  had  probably 
spent  in  prison.  This  was  the  age  for  manly  service  (Num.  iv.  3). 
He  immediately  enters  upon  liis  ofiice. 

47-40.  The  fulfilment  of  the  dream  here  commences.  By  hand- 
fuls.  Not  in  single  stalks  or  grains,  but  in  handfuls  compared  with 
the  former  yield.  It  is  probable  that  a  fifth  of  the  present  unprece- 
dented yield  was  sufficient  for  the  sustenance  of  the  inhabitants. 
Another  fifth  was   rendered   to  the  government,  and  the  remaining 


GEN.  XLI.  465 

three  fifths  were  stored  up  or  sold  to  the  state  or  the  foreign  broker  at 
a  low  price.  He  left  numbering  because  there  was  no  number.  This 
denotes  that  the  store  was  immense,  and  not  perhaps  that  modes  of 
expressing  the  number  failed. 

50-52.  Two  sons  were  born  to  Joseph  during  the  seven  years  of 
plenty,  llenassek.  God  made  him  forget  his  toil  and  his  father's  house. 
Neither  absolutely.  He  remembered  his  toils  in  the  very  utterance  of 
this  sentence.  And  he  tenderly  and  intensely  remembered  his  father's 
house.  But  he  is  grateful  to  God,  who  builds  him  a  home,  with  all 
its  soothing  joys,  even  in  the  land  of  his  exile.  His  heart  again  re- 
sponds to  long  untasted  joys.  Fruitful  in  the  land  of  my  affiiction. 
It  is  still,  we  perceive,  the  land  of  his  afiliction.  But  why  does  no 
message  go  from  Joseph  to  his  mourning  father?  For  many  reasons. 
First,  he  does  not  know  the  state  of  things  at  home.  Secondly,  he 
may  not  wish  to  open  up  the  dark  and  bloody  treachery  of  his  brothers 
to  his  aged  parent.  But,  thirdly,  he  bears  in  mind  those  early  dreams 
of  his  childhood.  All  his  subsequent  experience  has  confirmed  him  in 
the  belief  that  they  will  one  day  be  fulfilled.  But  that  fulfilment  im- 
plies the  submission  not  only  of  his  brothers,  but  of  his  father.  This 
is  too  delicate  a  matter  for  him  to  interfere  in.  He  will  leav^  it  en- 
tirely to  the  all-wise  providence  of  his  God  to  bring  about  that  strange 
issue.  Joseph,  therefore,  is  true  to  his  life-long  character.  He  leaves 
all  in  the  hand  of  God,  and  awaits  in  anxious,  but  silent  hope,  the  days 
when  he  will  see  his  father  and  his  brethren. 

53-57.  The  commencement  and  the  extent  of  the  famine  are  now 
noted.  As  Joseph  had  said.  The  fulfilment  is  as  perfect  in  the  one 
part  as  in  the  other.  In  all  the  lands, — all  the  lands  adjacent  to 
Egypt ;  such  as  Arabia  and  Palestine.  The  word  all  in  popular  dis- 
course is  taken  in  a  relative  sense,  to  be  ascertained  by  the  context. 
"We  are  not  aware  that  this  famine  was  felt  beyond  the  distance  of 
Hebron.  Go  unto  Joseph  (40-44).  Pharoli  has  had  reason  to  trust 
Joseph  more  and  more,  and  now  he  adheres  to  his  purpose  of  sending 
his  people  to  him.  All  the  face  of  the  land  of  Egypt.  And  Joseph 
opened  all  jylaces  in  which  there  was  food,  —  all  the  stores  in  every 
city.  And  sold  unto  Mizraim.  The  stores  under  Pharoh's  hand  were 
public  property,  obtained  either  by  lawful  taxation  or  by  purchase. 
It  was  a  great  public  benefit  to  sell  this  grain,  that  had  been  provi- 
dently kept  in  store,  at  a  moderate  price,  and  thus  preserve  the  lives 
of  a  nation  during  a  seven  years'  famine.  All  the  land.  This  is  to  be 
understood  of  the  countries  in  the  neighborhood  of  Egypt.  Famines- 
59 


466  JOSEPH  AXD  TEX  OE  HIS  BRETHREN. 

in  these,  countries  were  not  unusual.  "We  have  read  already  of  two 
famines  m  Palestine  that  did  not  extend  to  Egypt  (xii.  10,  xxvi.  1). 
The  fertility  of  Eg}-pt  depends  on  the  rise  of  the  waters  of  the  Nile 
to  a  certain  point,  at  which  they  will  reach  all  the  country.  If  it  fall 
short  of  that  point,  there  will  be  a  deficiency  in  the  crops  proportioned 
to  the  deficiency  in  the  rise.  The  rise  of  the  Xile  depends  on  the 
tropical  rains  by  which  the  lake  is  supplied  from  which  it  flows. 
These  rains  depend  on  the  clouds  wafted  by  the  winds  from  the  basin 
of  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  The  amount  of  these  piles  of  vapor  will 
depend  on  the  access  and  strength  of  the  solar  heat  producing  evapo- 
ration from  the  surface  of  that  inland  sea.  The  same  cause,  therefore, 
may  withhold  rain  from  central  Africa,  and  from  all  the  lands  that  are 
watered  from  the  Mediterranean.  The  duration  of  the  extraordinary 
plenty  was  indeed  wonderful.  But  such  periods  of  excess  are  gener- 
ally followed  by  corresponding  periods  of  deficiency  over  the  same 
area.  This  prepares  the  way  for  the  arrival  of  Joseph's  kindred  in 
Egypt. 


.LXX.    JOSEPH  AXD  TEX  OF  HIS  BRETHEEX.  — Gen.  xlii. 

1.  'nrr  fragment,  crumh,  hence  grain,  ^a  pure,  winnoiced,  hence 
corn. 

6.  ^'t"2  ruler,  governor,  hence  Saltan.  Xot  elsewhere  found  in  the 
Pentateuch. 

25.  "^3  vessel,  here  any  portable  article  in  which  grain  may  be  con- 
veyed, pb  sack,  the  very  word  which  remains  in  our  language  to  this 
day.     rr;:^-;x  bag. 

XLII.  1.  And  Jacob  saw  that  there  was  grain  in  Mizraim, 
and  Jacob  said  unto  his  sons,  AVhy  do  ye  look  one  at  another? 
2.  And  he  said,  Behold,  I  have  heard  that  there  is  grain  in 
Mizraim  :  go  down  thither,  and  buy  for  us  thence  ;  and  we 
shall  live  and  not  die.  3.  And  Joseph's  ten  brethren  went 
down  to  buy  corn  in  Mizraim.  4.  And  Benjamin,  Joseph's 
Tjrotlier,  Jacob  sent  not  with  his  brethren ;  for  he  said,  Lest 
mischief  befall  him.  5.  And  the  sons  of  Israel  went  to  buy 
among  those  that  went ;  for  the  famine  was  in  the  land  of 
Keuaan. 


GEN.  XLn.  467 

G.  A'.id  Joseph  was  the  governor  over  the  laud,  that  sohl  to 
all  the  people  of  the  land :  and  Joseph's  brethren  went  and 
bowed  down  to  him  with  their  faces  to  the  earth.  7.  And 
Joseph  saw  his  brethren,  and  knew  them  ;  and  he  made  him- 
self strange  unto  them,  and  spake  unto  them  roughly,  and 
said  unto  them,  Whence  are  ye  come  ?  And  they  said.  From 
the  land  of  Kenaan,  to  buy  food.  8.  And  Joseph  knew  his 
bretlireu  ;  and  they  knew  not  him.  9.  And  Joseph  remem- 
bered the  dreams  which  he  had  dreamed  of  them ;  and  he 
said  unto  them.  Spies  are  ye  :  to  see  the  nakedness  of  the 
land  are  ye  come.  10.  And  tliey  said  unto  him.  Nay,  my 
lord  ;  but  thy  servants  are  come  to  buy  food.  11.  All  of  us 
sons  of  one  man  are  we  ;  true  men  are  we :  thy  servants  are 
uot  spies.  12.  And  he  said  unto  them.  Nay  ;  for  to  see  the 
nakedness  of  the  land  are  ye  come.  13.  And  they  said, 
Twelve  brethren  are  we  thy  servants,  sons  of  one  man  in  the 
the  land  of  Kenaan  :  and,  behold,  the  youngest  is  with  our 
father  this  day,  and  one  is  not.  14.  And  Joseph  said  unto 
them.  This  is  what  I  spake  unto  you,  saying,  Spies  are  ye. 
15.  Hereby  ye  shall  be  proved  :  by  the  life  of  Pharoh  ye  shall 
not  go  hence,  unless  your  youngest  brother  come  hither.  16. 
Send  one  of  you,  and  let  him  fetch  your  brother  ;  and  be  ye 
bound,  and  let  your  words  be  proved  if  the  truth  be  in  you  ; 
and  if  not,  by  the  life  of  Pharoh,  spies  are  ye.  17.  And  he 
put  them  all  together  in  ward  for  three  days. 

18.  And  Joseph  said  unto  them  on  the  third  day,  This  do 
and  live :  the  God  I  do  fear.  19.  If  true  men  be  ye,  one 
brother  of  you  shall  be  bound  in  the  house  of  your  ward  ;  and 
ye  go,  carry  grain  for  the  famine  of  your  houses.  20.  And 
your  youngest  brother  bring  }*e  to  me,  and  your  words  shall 
be  verified,  and  ye  shall  not  die.  And  they  did  so.  21.  And 
tliey  said  one  to  another.  Verily  guilty  are  we  concerning  our 
brother,  because  we  saw  the  distress  of  his  soul  when  he  be- 
sought us  and  we  would  not  hear :  therefore  come  upon  us 
is  this  distress.     22.  And  Reuben  answered  them,  saving.  Said 


4-68  JOSEPH  AND  TEN  OF  HIS  BRETHREN. 

I  not  unto  you,  saying,  Sin  not  against  the  lad,  and  ye  would 
not  hoar :  and  behold  also  his  blood  is  required.  23.  And 
tliey  knew  not  that  Joseph  heard  them ;  for  the  interpreter 
was  betwixt  them.  24.  And  he  turned  about  from  them,  and 
wept:  and' he  returned  to  them,  and  spake  unto  them,  and 
took  from  them  Simon,  and  bound  him  before  their  eyes.  25. 
And  Joseph  commanded  to  fill  their  vessels  with  corn,  and  to 
restore  every  man's  silver  into  his  sack,  and  to  give  them  pro- 
vision for  the  way.     And  it  was  done  to  them  so. 

26.  And  they  put  their  grain  upon  their  asses,  and  went 
thence.  27.  And  one  opened  his  sack  to  give  provender  to 
his  ass  in  the  inn  :  and  he  saw  his  silver,  and,  behold,  it  was 
in  his  bag's  mouth.  28.  And  he  said  unto  his  brethren,  My 
silver  is  restored,  and  also,  behold,  it  is  in  my  bag  :  and  their 
lieart  failed,  and  they  trembled,  saying  one  to  another,  What 
is  this  God  hath  done  unto  us?  29.  And  they  went  unto 
Jacob  their  father  to  the  land  of  Kenaan,  and  told  him  all  that 
befell  them,  saying,  30.  The  man  who  is  lord  of  the  land 
spake  with  us  roughly,  and  took  us  for  spies  of  the  land.  31. 
And  we  said  unto  him,  True  men  are  we ;  we  are  not  spies. 
32.  Twelve  brethren  are  we,  sons  of  one  father ;  one  is  not, 
and  the  youngest  is  this  day  with  our  father  in  the  land  of 
Kenaan.  33.  And  the  man,  the  lord  of  the  land,  said  unto 
us,  Hereby  shall  I  know  that  ye  are  true  ;  one  brother  of  you 
leave  with  me,  and  for  the  famine  of  your  houses  take  ye  and 
go.  34.  And  bring  your  youngest  brother  to  me  :  and  I  shall 
know  that  ye  are  not  spies,  that  ye  are  true  men  :  your 
brother  will  I  give  you,  and  in  the  land  ye  shall  traffic. 

35.  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  they  emptied  their  sacks,  that, 
behold,  every  man's  bundle  of  silver  was  in  his  sack:  and  they 
saw  the  bundles  of  their  silver,  they  and  their  father,  and  they 
were  afraid.  36.  And  Jacob  their  father  said  unto  them.  Me 
have  ye  bereaved  ;  Joseph  is  not,  and  Simon  is  not,  and  Ben- 
jamin ye  will  take  :  all  these  things  are  against  me.  37.  And 
Reuben  said  unto  his  father,  saying,  Slay  two  of  my  sons  if 


GEN.  XLII.  469 

I  bring  him  not  unto  thee :  give  him  into  my  hand,  and  I 
will  restore  him  unto  thee.  38.  And  he  said,  My  son  shall 
not  go  down  with  you  ;  for  his  brother  is  dead,  and  he  is  left 
alone  :  and  mischief  shall  befall  him  by  the  way  in  which  ye 
go,  and  ye  shall  bring  down  my  gray  hairs  with  sorrow  to  the 
grave. 


Twenty  years,  the  period  of  Joseph's  long  and  anxious  waiting, 
have  come  to  an  end.  The  dreams  of  his  boyhood  are  now  at  length 
to  be  fulfilled.  The  famine  has  reached  the  chosen  family,  and  they 
look  at  one  another  perplexed  and  irresolute,  not  knowing  what  to  do. 

1-5.  The  aged  Jacob  is  the  only  man  of  counsel.  Behold,  I  have 
heard  there  is  grain  in  Mizraim :  go  down  and  buy.  The  ten  brothers 
are  sent,  and  Benjamin,  the  youngest,  is  retained,  not  merely  because 
of  his  youth,  for  he  was  now  twenty-four  years  of  age,  but  because  he 
was  the  son  of  his  father's  old  age,  the  only  son  of  Rachel  now  with 
him,  and  the  only  full  brother  of  the  lost  Joseph.  Lest  mischief 
befall  him,  and  so  no  child  of  Rachel  would  be  left.  Among  those  that 
went.     The  dearth  was  widespread  in  the  land  of  Kenaan. 

G-17.  The  ten  brothers  meet  with  a  rough  reception  from  the  lord 
of  the  land.  The  governor,  —  the  sultan.  This,  we  see,  is  a  title  of 
great  antiquity  in  Egypt  or  Arabia.  Joseph  presided  over  the  corn- 
market  of  the  kingdom.  Bowed  down  to  him  with  their  faces  to  the 
earth.  Well  might  Joseph  think  of  those  never-to-be-forgotten  dreams 
in  which  the  sheaves  and  stars  bowed  down  to  him.  And  Tcnew  them. 
How  could  he  fail  to  remember  the  ten  full-grown  men  of  his  early 
days,  when  they  came  before  him  with  all  their  pecuUarities  of  feature, 
attitude,  and  mother  tongue.  And  he  made  himself  strange  unto  them. 
All  that  we  know  of  Joseph's  character  heretofore,  and  throughout  this 
whole  affair,  goes  to  prove  that  his  object  in  all  his  seemingly  hars'.i 
treatment  was  to  get  at  their  hearts,  to  test  their  affection  toward  Ben- 
jamin, and  to  bring  them  to  repent  of  their  unkindness  to  himself 
They  knew  not  him.  Twenty  years  make  a  great  change  in  a  youth 
of  seventeen.  And  besides,  with  his  beard  and  head  shaven,  his 
Egyptian  attire,  his  foreign  tongue,  and  his  exalted  position,  who  could 
have  recognized  the  stripling  whom,  twenty  years  ago,  they  had  sold 
as  a  slave  ?  Spies  are  ye.  This  was  to  put  a  color  of  justice  on  their 
detention.     To  see  the  nakedness  of  the  land,  not  its  unfortified  fron- 


470  JOSEPH  AND  TEN  OF  HIS  BRETHREN. 

tier,  which  is  a  more  recent  idea,  but  its  present  impoverishment  from 
the  famine.  Sons  of  one  man  are  we.  It  was  not  likely  that  ten 
sons  of  one  man  would  be  sent  on  the  hazardous  duty  of  spies.  And 
behold  the  youngest  is  with  our  father  this  day.  It  is  intensely  interest- 
ing to  Joseph  to  hear  that  his  father  and  full  brother  are  still  living. 
And  one  is  not.  Time  has  assuaged  all  their  bitter  feelings,  both  of 
exasperation  against  Joseph  and  of  remorse  for  their  unbrotherly  con- 
duct. This  little  sentence,  however,  cannot  be  uttered  by  them,  or 
heard  by  Joseph,  without  emotion.  By  the  life  of  Pharoh.  Joseph 
speaks  in  character,  and  uses  an  Egyptian  asseveration.  Send  one  of 
you.  This  proposal  is  enough  to  strike  terror  into  their  hearts.  The 
return  of  one  would  be  a  heavy,  perhaps  a  fatal  blow  to  their  father. 
And  how  can  one  brave  the  perils  of  tlie  way  ?  They  cannot  bring 
themselves  to  concur  in  this  plan.  Sooner  will  they  all  go  to  prison, 
as  accordingly  they  do.  Joseph  is  not  without  a  strong  conviction  of 
incumbent  duty  in  all  this.  He  knows  he  has  been  put  in  the  posi- 
tion of  lord  over  his  brethren  in  the  foreordination  of  God,  and  he 
feels  bound  to  make  this  authority  a  reality  for  their  moral  good, 

18-25.  After  three  days  Joseph  reverses  the  numbers,  allowing 
nine  to  return  home,  and  retaining  one.  This  do  and  live.  Joseph, 
notwithstanding  the  arbitrary  power  which  his  office  enabled  him  to 
exercise,  proves  himself  to  be  free  from  caprice  and  unnecessary  se- 
verity. He  affords  them  a  fair  opportunity  of  proving  their  words 
true,  before  putting  them  to  death  on  suspicion  of  espionage.  The 
God  do  I  fear.  A  singular  sentence  from  the  lord  paramount  of 
Egypt !  It  implies  that  the  true  God  was  not  yet  unknown  in  Egypt. 
We  have  heard  the  confession  of  this  great  tnith  already  from  the 
lips  of  Pharoh  (xli.  38,  39).  But  it  intimates  to  the  brothers  the  as- 
tonishing and  hopeful  fact  that  the  grand  vizier  serves  the  same  great 
Being  whom  they  and  their  fathers  have  known  and  worshipped ;  and 
gives  them  a  plain  hint  that  they  will  be  dealt  with  according  to  the 
just  law  of  heaven.  Carry  grain  for  your  houses.  The  governor  then 
is  touched  with  some  feeling  for  their  famishing  households.  The 
brothers,  though  honoring  their  aged  father  as  the  patriarch  of  their 
race,  had  now  their  separate  establishments.  Twelve  households  had 
to  be  supplied  with  bread.  The  journey  to  Egypt  was  not  to  be  un- 
dertaken more  than  once  a  year  if  possible,  as  the  distance  from  He- 
bron was  upwards  of  two  hundred  miles.  Hence  the  ten  brothers  had 
with  them  all  their  available  beasts  of  burden,  with  the  needful  retinue 
of  servants.     We  need  not  be  sui'prised  that  these  are  not  specially 


GEN.  XLII.  471 

enumerated,  as  it  is  the  "manner  of  Scripture  to  leave  the  secondary- 
matters  to  the  intelligence  and  experience  of  the  reader,  unless,  as 
in  the  case  of  Abraham's  three  hundred  and  eighteen  trained  servants, 
they  happen  to  be  of  essential  moment  in  the  process  of  events.  Tour 
youngest  brother.  Joseph  longs  to  see  his  full  brother  alive,  whom  he 
left  at  home  a  child  of  four  summers.  Verily  guilty  are  we  concerning 
our  hrotlter.  Their  affliction  is  beginning  to  bear  the  fruit  of  repent- 
ance. Because  we  saw  the  distress  of  his  soul  when  he  besought  us,  and 
toe  would  not  hear.  How  vividly  is  the  scene  of  Joseph's  sale  here 
brought  before  us.  It  now  appears  that  he  besought  them  to  spare 
him,  and  they  would  not  hear !  This  distress.  Retribution  has  come 
at  last.  His  blood  is  required.  Reuben  justly  upbraids  them  with 
their  hardness  of  heart.  Their  brother's  blood  is  required ;  for  murder 
was  intended,  and  when  he  was  sold  his  death  was  pretended.  The 
interpreter  was  betwixt  them.  The  dragoman  was  employed  in  holding 
intercourse  with  them.  But  Joseph  heard  the  spontaneous  expressions 
of  remorse,  coming  unprompted  from  their  lips.  The  fountain  of  af- 
fection is  deeply  stirred.  He  cannot  repress  the  rising  tear.  He  has 
to  retire  for  a  time  to  recover  his  composure.  He  now  takes,  not 
Reuben,  who  was  not  to  blame,  but  Simon,  the  next  eldest,  and  binds 
him  before  them :  a  speaking  act.  He  then  gives  orders  to  supply 
them  with  corn,  deposit  their  money  in  their  sacks  without  their  knowl- 
edge, and  furnish  them  with  provision  for  the  way.  Joseph  feels,  per- 
haps, that  he  cannot  take  money  from  his  father.  He  will  pay  for 
the  corn  out  of  his  own  funds.  But  he  cannot  openly  x-eturn  the  money 
to  his  brothers  without  more  explanation  than  he  wishes  at  present  to 
give. 

2G-34.  The  nine  return  home  and  record  their  wonderful  adventure. 
In  the  inn  ;  the  lodge  or  place  where  they  stopped  for  the  night.  This 
place  was  not  yet  perhaps  provided  with  even  the  shelter  of  a  roof. 
It  was  merely  the  usual  place  of  halting.  They  would  probably  oc- 
cupy six  or  seven  days  on  the  journey.  Apparently  at  the  first  stage 
one  opened  his  sack  to  give  provender  to  his  ass.  The  discovery  of 
the  silver  in  its  mouth  strikes  them  with  terror.  In  a  strange  land 
and  with  an  uneasy  conscience  they  are  easily  alarmed.  It  was  not 
convenient  or  necessary  to  open  all  the  bags  on  the  way,  and  so  they 
make  no  further  discovery. 

35-38.  On  emptying  the  other  sacks  all  the  silver  turns  up,  to  their 
great  amazement  and  consternation.  Jacob  laments  the  loss  of  his 
son.     Reuben  offers  two  of  his  sons  to  Jacob  as  pledges  for  Benjamin, 


472  JOSEPH  AND  HIS  ELEVEN  BRETHREN. 

to  be  slain  if  he  did  not  bring  him  back  in-  safety.  The  sorrowing 
parent  cannot  yet  bring  himself  to  consent  to  Benjamin's  departure  on 
this  hazardous  journey.  And  ye  shall  hring  down.  Jacob  either 
speaks  here  in  the  querulous  tone  of  afflicted  old  age,  or  he  had  come 
to  know  or  suspect  that  his  brothers  had  some  hand  in  the  disappear- 
ance of  Joseph. 


LXXI.    JOSEPH  AND  HIS  ELEVEN  BRETHREN.  — Gen.  xliii. 

11.  luai  lioney,  from  the  bee,  or  sirup  from  the  juice  of  the  grape. 
d'^Stpn  pistachio  nuts,  ^"^^d  almond  tree  ;  r.  awake.  The  tree  is  also 
called  T^i^.      Some  refer  the  former  to  the  fruit,  the  latter  to  the  tree. 

XLIII.  1.  And  the  famine  was  sore  in  the  land.  2.  And 
it  came  to  pass,  when  they  had  eaten  up  the  grain  which  they 
had  brought  from  Mizraim,  that  their  father  said  to  them,  Re- 
turn :  buy  us  a  little  food.  3.  And  Judah  said  unto  him,  say- 
ing, The  man  solemnly  protested  unto  us,  saying',  Ye  shall 
not  see  my  face,  except  your  brother  be  with  you.  4.  If  thou 
wilt  send  our  brother  with  us,  we  will  go  down  and  buy  thee 
food.  5.  And  if  thou  wilt  not  send  him,  we  will  not  go  down; 
for  the  man  said  unto  us.  Ye  shall  not  see  my  face,  except 
your  brother  be  with  you.  6.  And  Israel  said.  Why  have  ye 
done  me  evil,  to  tell  the  man  whether  ye  had  yet  a  brother  ? 

7.  And  they  said.  The  man  straitly  asked  of  us  and  of  our 
kindred,  saying.  Is  your  father  yet  alivcr?  Have  ye  a  brother? 
And  we  told  him  according  to  these  words.  Could  wc  cer- 
tainly know  that  he  would  say,  Bring  your  brother  down  ? 

8.  And  Judah  said  unto  Israel  his  father.  Send  the  lad  with 
me,  and  we  will  arise  and  go  ;  and  we  shall  live  and  not  die, 
both  we  and  thou  and  our  little  ones.  9.  I  will  be  surety  for 
him  ;  of  my  hand  slialt  thou  require  liim.  If  I  bring  him  not 
unto  thee,  and  set  him  before  thee,  then  lot  me  have  sinned 


GEN.  XLIII.  473 

against  thee  all  my  days.  10.  For  unless  we  had  lingered, 
surely  now  we  had  returned  this  second  time. 

11.  And  Israel  their  father  said  unto  them,  If  so  now,  this 
do  :.  take  of  the  best  of  the  land  in  your  vessels,  and  carry 
down  the  man  a  present,  a  little  balm  and  a  little  honey, 
spices  and  myrrh,  nuts  and  almonds.  12.  And  second  silver 
take  in  your  hand  :  and  the  silver  that  was  returned  in  the 
mouth  of  your  bags  take  back  in  your  hand  ;  mayhap  it  was  a 
mistake.  13.  And  your  brother  take  :  and  arise,  return  to 
the  man.  14.  And  God  Almighty  give  you  mercy  before  the 
man,  and  he  shall  send  you  your  other  brother  and  Benjamin. 
And  I,  if  I  am  bereaved,  I  am  bereaved.  15.  And  the  men 
took  this  present,  and  double  silver  took  they  in  their  hand, 
and  Benjamin ;  and  rose  up,  and  went  down  to  Mizraim,  and 
stood  before  Joseph. 

16.  And  Joseph  saw  with  them  Benjamin,  and  said  to  him 
that  was  over  his  house.  Bring  these  men  in,  and  slay  and 
make  ready  ;  for  these  men  shall  eat  with  me  at  noon.  17. 
And  the  man  did  as  Joseph  said ;  and  the  man  brought 
the  men  to  Joseph's  house.  18.  And  the  men  were  afraid 
because  they  were  brought  to  Joseph's  house  ;  and  they  said, 
On  account  of  the  money  that  was  returned  in  our  bags  at  the 
first  are  v^^c  brought  in  ;  to  overbear  us,  and  fall  upon  us,  and 
take  us  for  servants,  and  our  asses. 

19.  And  they  came  near  to  the  man  who  was  over  Joseph's 
house,  and  they  spake  to  him  at  the  door  of  the  house.  20. 
And  said,  0  my  lord,  we  came  down  indeed  at  the  first  to  buy 
food.  21.  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  we  came  to  the  inn, 
that  we  opened  our  bags,  and,  behold,  every  man's  silver  was 
in  the  mouth  of  his  bag,  —  our  silver  in  full  weight :  and  we 
brought  it  back  in  our  hand.  22.  And  other  silver  have  wo 
brought  down  in  our  hand  to  buy  food :  we  know  not  who 
put  our  silver  in  our  bags.  23.  And  he  said,  Peace  be  to  you  ; 
fear  not :  your  God,  and  the  God  of  your  father  hath  given 
you  treasure  in  your  bags :  your  silver  came  to  me.  And 
GO 


474  JOSEPH  AND  HIS  ELEVEN  BRETHREN. 

ho  brought  out  unto  them  Simon.  24.  And  the  man  brought 
the  men  into  Joseph's  house,  and  got  water,  and  they  washed 
their  feet;  and  he  gave  provender  to  tlieir  asses.  25.  And 
they  made  ready  the  present  for  Joseph's  coming  at  noon  ; 
for  they  lieard  that  there  they  should  eat  bread. 

26.  And  Joseph  came  home,  and  they  brought  him  the 
present  which  was  in  their  hand  into  the  house,  and  they 
bowed  to  him  to  the  earth.  27.  And  he  asked  them  of  their 
v/clfare  ;  and  he  said,  Is  it  well  with  your  father,  the  old  man 
of  whom  ye  spake?  Is  he  yet  alive  ?  28.  And  they  answered. 
It  is  well  with  thy  servant,  our  father ;  he  is  yet  alive.  And 
they  bent  the  head  and  bowed  down.  29.  And  he  lifted  up 
his  eyes,  and  saw  Benjamin  his  brother,  his  mother's  son,  and 
said,  Is  this  your  youngest  brother  of  whom  ye  told  me?  And 
he  said,  God  be  gracious  unto  thee,  my  son.  80.  And  Joseph 
hastened  away ;  for  his  bowels  yearned  upon  his  brother,  and 
he  sought  to  weep  ;  and  he  went  into  his  chamber  and  wept 
there.  31.  And  he  washed  his  face,  and  came  out,  and  re- 
frained himself,  and  said,  Set  on  bread.  32.  And  they  set  for 
him  by  liimself,  and  for  them  by  themselves,  and  for  the  Miz- 
rites  wlio  ate  with  him  by  themselves ;  because  the  Mizrites 
might  not  eat  bread  with  the  Hebrews  ;  for  that  is  an  abomi- 
nation to  the  Mizrites.  33.  And  they  sat  in  his  presence,  the 
first-])orn  according  to  his  first  birth,  and  the  youngest  ac- 
cording to  his  youth  :  and  the  men  marvelled  one  at  another. 
34.  And  he  sent  messes  from  before  liim  unto  them:  and 
Benjamin's  mess  exceeded  the  messes  of  them  all  five  times. 
And  they  drank  and  were  merry  with  him. 


The  eleven  brothers  are  now  to  bow  down  before  Joseph. 

1-10.  The  famine  was  sore.  The  pressure  began  to  be  felt  more 
and  more.  The  twelve  households  had  at  length  consumed  all  the 
coi'ii  lliey  had  purchased,  and  the  famine  still  pressed  heavily  upon 
then).  Jacob  directs  thfm  to  return.  And  Judah  said.  Reuben  had 
oU'endcd,  and    could    not  come  forward.     Simon  and    Levi  had  also 


GEN.  XLIII.  475 

grieved  their  father  bj  the  trcficherous  slaughter  of  the  Shekemites. 
Judah  therefore  speaks.  /*•  your  father  yet  alive  f  Have  ye  a  brother  ? 
These  questions  do  not  come  out  in  the  previous  narrative,  on  account 
of  its  brevity.  But  how  pointed  they  are,  and  how  true  to  Joseph's 
yearnings  !  They  explain  how  it  was  that  these  particulars  came  out 
in  the  replies  of  the  brothers  to  Joseph.  For  the  charge  of  being  spies 
did  not  call  for  them  in  exculpation.  Judah  now  uses  all  the  argu- 
ments the  case  would  admit  of,  to  persuade  his  father  to  allow  Benja- 
min to  go  with  them.  He  closes  with  the  emphatic  sentence,  If  I 
bring  him  not  unto  thee,  and  set  him  before  thee,  then  let  me  have  sinned 
against  thee  all  my  days  ;  that  is,  let  me  bear  the  blame,  and  of  course 
the  penalty  of  having  sinned  against  thee  in  so  tender  a  point.  Both 
Judah  and  his  father  knew  that  this  was  a  matter  that  touched  the 
interest  of  the  former  very  deeply.  Reuben  was  bearing  the  blame 
of  a  grievous  sin,  and  had  no  hope  of  the  birthright.  Simon  and  Levi 
were  also  bearing  blame,  and,  besides,  had  not  the  natural  right,  which 
belonged  only  to  Reuben.  Judah  came  next,  and  a  failure  in  securing 
the  safe  return  of  Benjamin  might  set  him  also  aside.  He  undertakes 
to  run  this  risk. 

11-1.3.  Jacob  at  length  reluctantly  sends  Benjamin  with  them. 
He  employs  all  means,  as  is  usual  with  him,  of  securing  a  favorable 
result.  The  best  of  the  land,  —  the  sung  or  celebrated  products  of  the 
land.  A  Utile  honey.  Palestine  abounded  with  bee  honey.  A  sirup 
obtained  by  boiling  down  the  juice  of  the  grape  was  also  called  by  the 
same  name,  and  formed  an  article  of  commerce.  Nuts.  These  are 
supposed  to  be  pistachio  nuts,  from  the  pistacia  vera,  a  tree  resembling 
the  terebinth,  a  native  of  Anatolia,  Syria,  and  Palestine.  Almonds. 
The  almond  tree  buds  or  flowers  earlier  in  the  spring  than  other  trees. 
It  is  a  native  of  Palestine,  Syria,  and  Persia.  For  the  other  products 
see  xxxvii.  25.  Other  silver ;  not  double  silver,  but  a  second  sum  for 
the  new  purchase.  God  Almighty,  —  the  Great  Spirit,  who  can  dispose 
the  hearts  of  men  as  he  pleases.  Jacob  looks  up  to  heaven  for  a  bless- 
ing, while  he  uses  the  means.  If  I  am  bereaved,  lam  bereaved.  This 
is  the  expression  of  acquiescence  in  whatever  may  be  the  will  of  Prov- 
idence. Double  silver,  —  that  which  was  returned  and  that  which  was 
to  pay  for  a  second  supply  of  corn. 

16-18.  The  invitation  into  Joseph's  house  fills  the  brothers  with 
alarm.  Saw  with  them  Benjamin.  This  was  an  unspeakable  relief  to 
Joseph,  who  was  afraid  that  his  full  brother,  also  the  favorite  of  his 
father,  might  have  incurred  the  envy  and  persecution  of  the  brothers. 


47G        JOSEPH  AND  HIS-  ELEVEN  BRETHEEN. 

Brought  the  men  to  Joseph's  house.  Tliis  he  eventually  did,  but  not 
till  after  the  conference  between  him  and  them  took  place.  The  men 
were  afraid  of  a  plot  to  rob  them  of  their  liberty  and  property. 

19-25.  They  are  encouraged  by  the  steward  of  Joseph's  house  to 
lay  aside  their  fears,  and  prepare  their  present.  Spahe  to  him  at  the 
door  of  the  house.  This  was,  of  course,  before  they  entered.  When 
ice  came  to  the  inn.  The  relater  is  prone  to  lump  matters  in  the  nar- 
ration, for  the  sake  of  brevity.  They  began  to  "  open  their  bags  "  at 
the  first  lodging-place,  and  finished  the  process  at  the  last  when  they 
got  home.  Other  silver.  This  explains  the  phrase  "  second  silver"  in 
V.  12.  Peace  be  to  you.  Be  at  rest.  All  is  well.  Yoicr  God.  The 
steward  of  Joseph  expresses  himself  as  one  who  fears  and  trusts  God, 
the  God  of  the  Hebrews,  who  had  displayed  his  omniscience  and  om- 
nipotence in  Egypt.  He  brought  out  unto  them  Simon.  While  they 
still  linger  at  the  entrance,  the  considerate  steward  bethought  himself 
of  bringing  out  Simon  to  them,  which  reassured  their  hearts,  and  in- 
duced them  to  enter  willingly.  He  now  succeeds  therefore  in  bringing 
them  in,  and  then  bestows  upon  them  the  usual  attentions  of  Eastern 
hospitality.     They  now  "  make  ready  their  present." 

2G-34.  They  are  now  entertained  by  Joseph.  They  brought  the 
present,  and  made  a  lowly  obeisance  before  him.  They  bent  the  head. 
See  xxiv.  26.  God  be  gracious  unto  thee,  my  son.  His  kind  treatment 
of  Benjamin,  on  who^e  presence  he  had  so  much  insisted,  was  calcula- 
ted to  reassure  the  brotiiers.  The  latter  was  born  in  his  thirteenth 
year,  and  therefore  he  was  entitled  to  assume  the  paternal  style  in  re- 
gard to  him.  Joseph  still  appeals  with  a  natural  and  unconstrained 
reverence  to  his  own  God.  Aiid  Joseph  hastened  away.  The  little 
touch  of  tenderness  he  had  involuntarily  thrown  into  his  address  to 
Benjamin,  is  too  much  lor  his  feelings,  which  yearn  towards  his  brother, 
and  he  is  obliged  to  retreat  to  his  chamber  to  conceal  his  tears  and 
compose  his  countenance.  They  set  for  him  by  himself.  As  the  gov- 
ernor, or  as  connected  by  aflinity  with  the  priestly  caste,  Joseph  does 
not  eat  with  the  other  Egyptian.-?.  The  Egyptians  cannot  cat  with  the 
Hebrews.  Tiiat  is  an  abomination  to  the  Mizrites.  For  the  Hebrews 
partook  of  the  flesh  of  kine,  both  male  and  female.  But  Herodotus 
informs  us  (II.  41),  that  "  male  kine,  if  clean,  are  used  by  the  Egyp- 
tians, but  the  females  they  are  not  allowed  to  sacrifice,  since  they  are 
sacred  to  Isis."  And  he  adds  that  "a  native  of  Egypt  will  not  kiss  a 
Greek,  use  his  knife,  his  spit,  or  his  cauldron,  or  taste  the  flesh  cut 
with  a  Greek  knife."     They  considered  all  foreigners  unclean,  and 


GEN.  XLIV.  477 

tlierefore  refused  to  eat  with  them  (see  Rawlinson's  Herod,  on  p.  q.). 
They  sat  in  his  presence  ;  arranged  according  to  the  order  of  their 
birth,  to  their  great  amazement.  Egypt  was  to  them  a  land  of  won- 
ders, and  Egypt's  suUan  a  man  of  Avonder.  Bevjamin's  mess.  The 
honored  guest  was  distinguished  by  a  larger  or  daintier  portion  of  the 
fare  (1  Sam.  ix.  23,  24 ;  Homer,  11.  7,  321).  A  double  portion  was 
assigned  to  the  Spartan  kings.  The  fivefold  division  was  prominent 
in  Egyptian  affairs  (xli.  oi ;  slv.  22;  xlvii.  2,  24,  2G).  And  were 
merry.  They  drank  freely,  so  as  to  be  exhilarated,  because  their  cares 
were  dissipated  by  the  kindness  they  were  receiving,  the  presence  of 
Simon,  and  the  attention  paid  to  Benjamin. 


LXXII.    THE  TEN  BROTHERS  PROVED.  — Gen.  xliv. 

XLIV.  1.  And  he  commanded  him  that  was  over  his  house, 
saying,  Fill  the  men's  bags  with  food,  as  much  as  they  can 
cany,  and  put  the  silver  of  each  in  his  bag's  month.  2.  And 
my  cup,  the  silver  cup,  put  in  the  bag's  mouth  of  the  youngest, 
and  the  silver  for  his  grain.  And  he  did  according  to  the  word 
of  Joseph  whicli  he  spake.  3.  The  morning  shone  ;  and  the 
men  were  sent  aw^ay,  they  and  their  asses.  4.  They  had  come 
out  of  the  city  not  very  far,  and  Joseph  said  to  him  that  was 
over  his  house.  Up,  follow  after  the  men ;  and  overtake  them, 
and  say  unto  them.  Why  have  ye  requited  evil  for  good?  5. 
Is  it  not  this  in  whicli  my  lord  drinketh,  and  whereby  indeed 
he  divineth  ?     Ye  have  done  evil  in  so  doing. 

6.  And  he  overtook  them,  and  spake  unto  them  these  words. 
7.  And  they  said  unto  him.  Why  speaketli  my  lord  according 
to  these  words  ?  Far  be  thy  servants  from  doing  according  to 
this  thing.  8.  Behold,  silver  which  we  found  in  our  bags' 
mouths  we  brought  back  to  thee  from  the  land  of  Kcnaan : 
and  liow  should  we  steal  from  thy  lord's  house  silver  or  gold  ? 
9.  With  whomsoever  of  thy  servants  it  be  found,  both  let  him 
die,  and  also  we  will  be  servants  to  my  lord.  10.  And  he  said. 
Now  also  according  to  your  words  let  it  be :  he  with  whom  it 


478  THE  TEN  BROTHERS  PROVED. 

is  found  shall  bo  my  servant,  and  yc  shall  he  blameless.  11. 
And  they  hasted,  and  laid  every  man  his  hag  on  the  earth,  and 
opened  every  man  his  hag.  12.  And  he  searched,  beginning 
at  the  eldest  and  endhig  at  the  youngest,  and  the  cup  was  found 
in  Benjamin's  bag. 

13.  And  they  rent  their  garments,  and  laded  every  man  his 
ass,  and  returned  to  the  city.  11.  And  Judah  went  and  his 
brethren  to  Joseph's  house,  and  he  was  yet  there :  and  they 
fell  before  him  on  the  earth.  15.  And  Joseph  said  unto  them, 
What  deed  is  this  that  ye  have  done  ?  Wot  ye  not  that  such 
a  man  as  I  doth  certainly  divine  ?  16.  And  Judah  said,  What 
shall  wo  say  unto  my  lord  ?  What  shall  we  speak  ?  And  how 
shall  vv-c  clear  ourselves  ?  The  God  hath  found  out  the  iniquity 
of  thy  servants  :  behold,  we  are  servants  to  my  lord,  both  we, 
and^ie  in  whose  hand  the  cup  is  found.  17.  And  he  said.  Far 
let  me  be  from  doing  this  :  the  man  in  whose  hand  the  cup  is 
found,  he  shall  be  my  servant ;  and  ye  go  up  in  peace  to  your 
father.  11  §nS^  41. 

18.  And  Judah  came  near  unto  him,  and  said,  0  my  lord, 
let  thy  servant  now  speak  a  word  in  the  ears  of  my  lord,  and 
let  not  thine  anger  burn  against  thy  servant :  for  so  art  thou 
as  Pharoh.  19.  My  lord  asked  his  servants,  saying.  Have  ye  a 
father  or  a  brother  ?  20.  And  we  said  unto  my  lord,  We  have 
an  aged  father,  and  a  young  lad  of  his  old  age  ;  and  his  brother 
is  dead,  and  he  is  left  alone  of  his  mother,  and  his  father  lov- 
clli  him.  21.  And  tliou  saidst  unto  thy  servants,  Bring  him 
unto  me  ;  and  let  me  set  mine  eyes  upon  him.  22.  And  we 
said  unto  my  lord.  The  lad  cannot  leave  his  father  :  and  he 
shall  leave  his  father,  and  he  shall  die.  23.  And  thou  saidst 
unto  thy  servants.  Except  your  youngest  brother  come  down 
with  you,  yc  shall  see  my  face  no  more.  24.  And  it  came  to 
pass  tliat  we  went  up  unto  thy  servant  my  father,  and  told  him 
the  words  of  my  lord.  25.  And  our  father  said.  Return,  buy 
us  a  little  food.  2G.  And  we  said.  We  cannot  go  down  :  if  our 
youngest  brother  be  with  us,  then  will  we  go  down  ;  for  we 


GEN.  XLIV.  iT9 

may  not  see  the  man's  face,  except  our  youngest  brother  be 
witli  us.  27.  And  thy  servant  my  father  said  unto  us,  Ye 
know  that  my  wife  bare  me  two  sons.  28.  And  the  one  went 
out  from  me,  and  I  said,  Surely  he  is  torn  in  pieces  ;  and  I 
have  not  seen  him  since.  29.  And  ye  shall  take  this  also  from 
before  me,  and  evil  shall  befall  him,  and  ye  shall  bring  down 
my  gray  hairs  in  evil  to  the  grave.  30.  And  now  when  I  go 
unto  thy  servant  my  father,  and  the  lad  is  not  with  us,  and  his 
soul  is  bound  up  in  his  soul,  31.  Then  it  shall  come  to  pass 
when  he  seeth  that  the  lad  is  not,  that  he  will  die :  and  thy 
servants  sliall  ])ring  down  the  gray  hairs  of  thy  servant  our 
father  in  sorrow  to  the  grave.  32.  For  thy  servant  became 
surety  for  tlie  lad  with  my  father,  saying.  If  I  bring  him  not 
unto  thee,  then  let  me  have  sinned  against  my  father  all  my 
days.  33.  And  now  let  thy  servant  now  abide  instead  of  the 
lad  a  servant  to  my  lord ;  and  let  the  lad  go  up  with  his  breth- 
ren. 34.  For  how  shall  I  go  up  to  my  father,  and  the  lad  not 
with  me,  lest  I  see  the  evil  that  shall  come  upon  my  father. 

Joseph  has  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  his  brother  Benjamin  safe 
and  well.  Pie  has  heard  his  brothers  acknowledging  their  guilt  con- 
cerning himself.  He  resolves  to  put  their  attachment  to  Benjamin, 
and  the  genuineness  of  their  change  of  disposition,  to  a  test  that  will 
at  the  same  time  expose  Benjamin  to  no  hazard. 

1-5.  And  my  cup.  Besides  returning  each  man's  money  as  before, 
a  silver  cup  of  Joseph's  is  put  in  Benjamin's  bag,  after  which,  when 
daylight  comes,  they  are  dismissed.  They  are  scarcely  out  of  the  town 
when  Joseph's  steward  is  ordered  to  overtake  them,  and  charge  them 
with  stealing  the  cup.  And  whereby  indeed  he  divineth.  Divining  by 
cups,  Ave  learn  from  this,  was  a  common  custom  in  Egypt  (Herod.  II. 
So).  It  is  here  mentioned  to  enhance  the  value  of  the  cup.  "Whether 
Joseph  really  practised  any  sort  of  divination  cannot  be  determined 
from  this  passage. 

G-12.  The  cup  is  found  in  Benjamin's  bag.  Spahe  unto  them  these 
words.  The  words  of  Joseph,  supplying  of  course  the  mention  of  the 
cup  which  is  expressed  in  the  text  only  by  the  pronoun  this.  We 
brought  bach  to  thee.      Silver  that  we  might  have  retained,  and    to 


480  THE  TEN  BROTHERS  PROVED. 

v/hicli  you  made  no  claim  when  we  tendered  it,  we  brought  back. 
How  or  why  should  we  therefore  steal  silver  ?  Now  also  according  to 
your  words  let  it  he.  He  adopts  their  terms  with  a  mitigation.  He 
with  whom  the  cup  is  found  shall  become  a  slave  for  life,  and  the  rest 
be  acquitted.  The  steward  searches  from  the  eldest  to  the  youngest. 
The  cup  is  found  where  it  was  put. 

10-17.  They  rent  their  garments ;  the  natural  token  of  a  sorrow 
that  knows  no  remedy.  And  Judah  went.  He  had  pledged  himself 
for  the  safety  of  Benjamin  to  his  father.  And  he  was  yet  there  ;  await- 
ing no  doubt  the  result  which  he  anticipated.  They  fell  he  fore  him  on 
the  earth.  It  is  no  longer  a  bending  of  the  head  or  bowing  of  the 
body,  but  the  posture  of  deepest  humiliation.  How  deeply  that  early 
dream  penetrated  into  the  stern  reality  !  Wot  ye  not  that  such  a  man  as 
I  doth  certainly  divine  ?  Joseph  keeps  up  the  show  of  resentment  for 
a  little  longer,  and  brings  out  from  Judah  the  most  pathetic  plea  of  its 
kind  that  ever  was  uttered.  The  God,  the  great  and  only  God,  hath 
found  out  the  iniquity  of  thy  Servants  ;  in  our  dark  and  treacherous 
dealing  with  our  brother.  Behold,  we  are  servants  to  my  lord.  He  re- 
signs himself  and  all  to  perpetual  bondage,  as  the  doom  of  a  just  God 
upon  their  still-remembered  crime.  He  shall  he  my  servant ;  and  ye, 
go  up  in  peace  to  your  father.  Now  is  the  test  applied  with  the  nicest 
adjustment.  Now  is  the  moment  of  agony  and  suspense  to  Joseph. 
Yv'ill  my  brothers  prove  true  ?  says  he  within  himself.  Will  Judah 
prove  adequate  to  the  occasion  ?  say  we.  His  pleading  with  his  father 
augured  well. 

18-34.  And  Judah  came  near  unto  him.  He  is  going  to  surrender 
himself  as  a  slave  for  life,  that  Benjamin  may  go  home  with  his  broth- 
ers, who  are  permitted  to  depart.  Let  thy  servant  noiv  speak  a  word  in 
the  ears  of  my  lord.  There  is  nothing  here  but  respectful  calmness  of 
demeanor.  And  let  not  thine  anger  hum  against  thy  servant.  He  intu- 
itively feels  that  the  grand  vizier  is  a  man  of  like  feelings  with  him- 
self. He  will  surmount  the  distinction  of  rank,  and  stand  with  him  on 
the  ground  of  a  common  humanity.  For  so  art  thou  as  Pharoh.  Thou 
liast  power  to  grant  or  withhold  my  request.  This  forms  the  exordium 
of  the  speech.  Then  follows  the  plea.  This  consists  in  a  simple 
statement  of  the  facts,  which  Judah  expects  to  have  its  native  effect 
upon  a  rightly-constituted  heart.  We  will  not  touch  this  statement, 
except  to  explain  two  or  three  expressions.  A  young  lad,  —  a  com- 
parative youth.  Let  me  set  mine  eyes  upon  him,  —  regard  him  with 
favor  and  kindness.     He  shall  leave  Ms  father  and  he  shall  die.     If  he 


GEN.  XLV.  481 

were  to  leave  his  father,  his  father  would  die.  Such  is  the  natural  in- 
terpretation of  these  words,  as  the  paternal  affection  is  generally 
stronger  than  the  filial.  33,  34.  And  now  let  thy  servant  noio  abide 
instead  of  the  lad  a  servant  to  my  lord.  Such  is  the  humble  and  ear- 
nest petition  of  Judah.  He  calmly  and  firmly  sacrifices  home,  family, 
and  birthright,  rather  than  see  an  aged  father  die  of  a  broken  heart. 


LXXm.    JOSEPH  MADE  KNOWN  TO  HIS  BRETHREN.  —  Gen.  xlv. 

10.  'lUra  Goshen  (Feo-e/A  Apa^Sta;;  r.  perhaps  DtJ3  rain,  shower),  a 
region  on  the  borders  of  Egypt  and  Arabia,  near  the  gulf  of  Suez. 

XLY.  1.  And  Joseph  could  not  refrain  himself  before  all 
that  stood  by  him,  and  he  cried,  Have  every  man  out  from  me. 
And  there  stood  no  man  with  him,  when  Joseph  made  himself 
known  unto  his  brethren.  2.  And  he  lifted  up  his  voice  in 
weeping :  and  Mizraim  heard,  and  the  house  of  Pharoh  heard. 
3.  And  Joseph  said  unto  his  brethren,  I  am  Joseph ;  is  my 
father  yet  alive  ?  And  his  brethren  could  not  answer  him ;  for 
they  were  troubled  at  his  presence.  4.  And  Joseph  said  unto 
his  brethren,  Come  near  unto  me.  And  they  came  near :  and 
he  said,  I  am  Joseph,  your  brother,  whom  ye  sold  into  Mizraim, 
5.  And,  now,  be  not  grieved,  nor  angry  with  yourselves,  that 
ye  sold  me  hither  ;  because  to  save  life  God  sent  me  before 
you.  6.  For  these  two  years  hath  the  famine  been  in  the  land : 
and  there  are  yet  five  years,  in  which  there  shall  be  neither 
earing  nor  reaping.  7.  And  God  sent  me  before  you,  to  leave' 
to  you  a  remnant  in  the  land  ;  and  to  save  you  alive  by  a  great 
deliverance.  8.  And,  now,  not  ye  have  sent  me  hither,  but 
God :  and  he  made  me  father  to  Pharoh,  and  lord  to  all  his 
house,  and  ruler  in  all  the  land  of  Mizraim.  9.  Haste  ye,  and 
go  up  to  my  father,  and  say  unto  him,  Thus  saith  thy  son  Jo- 
seph, God  hath  made  me  lord  of  all  Mizraim  :  come  down 
unto  me,  stay  not.  10.  And  thou  shalt  dwell  in  the  land  of 
61 


482  JOSEPH  MADE  KNOWN  TO  HIS  BRETHREN. 

Goshen,  and  thou  shalt  be  near  me,  thou,  and  thy  sons,  and 
thy  sons'  sons,  and  thy  flock  and  thy  heards,  and  all  that  thou 
hast.  11.  And  I  will  sustain  thee  there  ;  for  yet  five  years  is 
the  famine ;  lest  thou  come  to  poverty,  thou,  and  thy  house, 
and  all  that  is  thine.  12.  And,  behold,  your  eyes  see,  and  the 
eyes  of  my  brother  Benjamin,  tliat  it  is  my  mouth  that  speak- 
eth  unto  you.  13.  And  ye  shall  tell  my  father  all  my  glory 
in  Mizraim,  and  all  that  ye  haA^e  seen :  and  ye  shall  haste  and 
bring  down  my  father  hither.  14.  And  he  fell  upon  Benjamin 
his  brother's  neck  and  wept  ;  and  Benjamin  wept  upon  his 
neck.  15.  And  he  kissed  all  his  brethren,  and  wept  upon 
them :  and  after  that  his  brethren  talked  witli  him. 

IG.  And  the  voice  was  heard  in  Pharoh's  house,  saying,  Jo- 
seph's brethren  are  come.  And  it  was  good  in  the  eyes  of 
Pharoh,  and  in  the  eyes  of  his  servants.  17.  And  Pharoli  said 
unto  Joseph,  Say  unto  thy  brethren.  This  do  ye  :  lade  your 
beasts,  and  go,  get  you  unto  the  land  of  Kenaan.  18.  And 
take  your  father  and  your  houses,  and  come  unto  me :  and  I 
will  give  3'ou  tlie  good  of  the  land  of  Mizraim,  and  eat  ye  the 
fat  of  the  land.  19.  And  thou  art  commanded,  this  do  ye : 
take  you  out  of  the  land  of  Mizraim  wagons  for  your  little 
ones,  and  for  your  wives,  and  bring  your  father  and  come. 
20.  And  let  not  your  eye  care  for  your  stuff:  for  the  good  of 
all  the  land  of  Mizraim  is  for  you. 

21.  And  so  did  the  sons  of  Israel  ;  and  Joseph  gave  them 
wagons,  at  the  mouth  of  Pharoh,  and  gave  them  provision  for 
the  way.  22.  And  to  all  of  them  he  gave  changes  of  raiment 
each ;  and  to  Benjamin  he  gave  three  hundred  silver  pieces, 
and  five  changes  of  raiment.  23.  And  to  his  father  he  sent 
thus :  ten  asses  laden  with  the  good  of  Mizraim,  and  ten  shc- 
asscs  laden  with  corn  and  bread  and  food  for  his  father  by  the 
way.  24.  And  he  sent  his  brethren  away,  and  they  went ;  and 
he  said  unto  them,  Do  not  fall  out  by  the  way. 

25.  And  they  went  up  out  of  Mizraim,  and  came  unto  the 
land  of  Kenaan,  unto  Jacob  their  father.     26.  And  they  told 


GEN.  XLV.  483 

him,  saying,  Joseph  is  yet  alive,  and  he  is  ruler  over  all  the 
land  of  Mizraim.  And  his  heart  fainted,  for  he  believed  them 
not.  27.  And  they  spake  unto  him  all  the  words  of  Joseph, 
which  he  spake  unto  them :  and  he  saw  the  wagons  which  Jo- 
soph  had  sent  to  carry  him,  and  the  spirit  of  Jacob  their 
father  revived.  28.  And  Israel  said,  Enough  :  Joseph  my  son 
is  yet  alive  :  let  me  go  and  see  him,  before  I  die. 

The  appeal  of  Judah  is  to  Joseph  irresistible.  The  repentance  of 
his  brothers,  and  their  attachment  to  Benjamin,  have  been  demonstrated 
in  the  most  satisfactory  manner.  This  is  all  that  Joseph  sought.  It  is 
evident,  throughout  the  whole  narrative,  that  he  never  aimed  at  exer- 
cising any  supremacy  over  his  brothers.  As  soon  as  he  has  obtamed 
an  affecting  proof  of  the  right  disposition  of  his  brothers,  he  conceals 
himself  no  longer.  And  the  speech  of  Judah,  in  which,  no  doubt,  his 
brothers  concurred,  does  equal  credit  to  his  head  and  heart. 

1-15.  Josepli  now  reveals  to  his  brothers  the  astonishing  fact  that  he 
himself,  their  long-lost  brother,  stands  before  them.  He  could  not  re- 
frain himself.  Judah  has  painted  the  scene  at  home  to  the  life ;  and 
Joseph  can  hold  out  no  longer.  Have  every  man  out  from  me.  Deli- 
cacy forbids  the  presence  of  strangers  at  this  unrestrained  outburst  of 
tender  emotion  among  the  brothers.  Besides,  the  worliings  of  con- 
science, bringing  up  the  recollections  of  the  past,  and  the  errors,  to 
which  some  reference  is  now  unavoidable,  are  not  to  be  unveiled  to  the 
public  eye.  He  lifted  up  his  voice  in  weeping.  The  expression  of  the 
feelings  is  free  and  uncontrolled  in  a  simple  and  primitive  state  of  so- 
ciety. This  prevails  still  in  the  East.  And  Mizraim  heard.  The 
Egyptians  of  Joseph's  house  would  hear,  and  report  to  others,  this  unu- 
sual utterance  of  deep  feeling.  lam  Joseph.  The  natural  voice,  the 
native  tongue,  the  long-remembered  features,  would,  all  at  once,  strike 
the  apprehension  of  the  brothers.  The  remembrance  of  their  crime, 
the  absolute  power  of  Joseph,  and  the  justice  of  revenge,  would  rush 
upon  their  minds.  No  wonder  they  were  silent  and  troubled  at  his 
presence.  Is  my  father  yet  alive  ?  This  question  shows  where  Joseph's 
thoughts  were.  He  had  been  repeatedly  assured  of  his  father's  wel- 
fare. But  the  long  absence  and  the  yearning  of  a  fond  heart  bring  the 
question  up  again.  It  was  reassuring  to  the  brethren,  as  it  was  far 
away  from  any  thought  of  their  fault  or  their  punishment.  4.  Come 
near  unto  me.     Joseph  sees  the  trouble  of  his  brothers,  and  discerns 


484  JOSEPH  MADE  KNOWN  TO  HIS  BRETHREN. 

its  cause.  He  addresses  them  a  second  time,  and  plainly  refers  to  tho 
fact  of  their  having  sold  him.  He  points  out  that  this  was  overruled 
of  God  to  the  saving  of  life  ;  and  hence,  that  it  was  not  they,  but  God 
who  had  mercifully  sent  him  to  Egypt  to  preserve  all  their  lives.  For 
these  two  years.  Hence  we  perceive  that  the  sons  of  Jacob  obtained  a 
supply,  on  the  first  occasion,  which  was  sufficient  for  a  year.  To  leave 
to  you  a  remnant  in  the  land.  This  is  usually  and  most  naturally  re- 
ferred to  a  surviving  portion  of  their  race.  Father  to  Pharoh  ;  a  sec- 
ond author  of  life  to  him.  Having  touched  very  slightly  on  their 
transgression,  and  endeavored  to  divert  their  thoughts  to  the  wonderful 
providence  of  God  displayed  in  the  whole  afiair,  he  lastly  preoccupies 
their  minds  with  the  duty  and  necessity  of  bringing  down  their  father 
and  all  their  families  to  dwell  in  Egypt.  In  the  land  of  Goshen.  This 
was  a  pasture  land  on  the  borders  of  Egypt  and  Arabia,  perhaps  at 
some  distance  from  the  Nile,  and  watered  by  the  showers  of  heaven, 
like  their  own  valleys.  He  then  appeals  to  their  recollections  and 
senses,  whether  he  was  not  their  very  brother  Joseph.  My  mouth  that 
speahelh  unto  you  ;  not  by  an  interpreter,  but  with  his  own  lips,  and  in 
their  native  tongue.  Having  made  this  needful  and  reassuring  expla- 
nation, he  breaks  through  all  distance,  and  falls  upon  Benjamin's  neck 
and  kisses  him,  and  all  his  other  brothers  ;  after  which  their  hearts  are 
soothed,  and  they  speak  freely  with  him. 

lG-20.  The  intelligence  that  Joseph's  brethren  are  come  readies  the 
ears  of  Pharoh,  and  calls  forth  a  cordial  invitation  to  come  and  settle 
in  Egypt.  It  loas  good  in  the  eyes  of  Pharoh.  They  highly  esteemed 
Joseph  on  his  own  account ;  and  that  he  should  prove  to  be  a  member 
of  a  respectable  family,  and  have  the  pleasure  of  again  meeting  with 
his  nearest  relatives,  were  circumstances  that  afiorded  them  a  real 
gratification.  The  yood  of  the  land  of  Mizraim.  The  good  which  it 
produces.  Wagons  ;  two-wheeled  cars,  fit  for  driving  over  the  rough 
country,  where  roads  were  not  formed.  Let  not  your  eye  care  for  your 
stuff;  your  houses,  or  pieces  of  furniture  which  must  be  left  behind. 
The  family  of  Jacob  thus  come  to  Egypt,  not  by  conquest  or  pui'chase, 
but  by  hospitable  invitation,  as  free,  independent  visitors  or  settlers. 
As  they  Avcre  free  to  come  or  not,  so  were  they  free  to  stay  or  leave. 

21-24.  The  brothers  joyfully  accept  the  hospitable  invitation  of 
Pharoh,  and  set  about  the  necessary  arrangements  for  their  journey. 
The  sons  of  Israel ;  including  Joseph,  who  had  his  own  part  to  per- 
form in  the  proposed  arrangement.  At  the  tnouth  of  Pharoh  ;  as  he  had 
authorized  him  to  do.      Changes  of  raiment ;  fine  raiment  for  change 


GEN.  XLVI.  485 

on  a  high  or  happy  clay.  To  Benjamin  he  gives  special  marks  of  fra- 
ternal affection,  -which  no  longer  excite  any  jealous  feeling  among  the 
brothers,  as  the  reasonableness  of  them  is  obvious.  Fall  out.  The 
original  word  means  to  be  stirred  by  any  passion,  whether  fear  or 
anger,  and  interpreters  explain  it  as  they  conceive  the  circumstances 
and  the  context  require.  The  English  version  corresponds  with  the 
Sept.  (opyt^fo-^e)  and  with  Oukelos.  It  refers,  perhaps,  to  the  Httle 
flashes  of  heat,  impatience,  and  contention  that  are  wont  to  disturb  the 
harmony  of  companions  in  the  East,  who  behave  sometimes  like  over- 
grown children.  Such  ebullitions  often  lead  to  disastrous  consequences. 
Joseph's  exile  arose  from  petty  jealousies  among  brethren. 

25-28.  The  returning  brothers  inform  their  father  of  the  existence 
and  elevation  of  Joseph  in  Egypt.  The  aged  patriarch  is  overcome 
for  the  moment,  but  at  length  awakens  to  a  full  apprehension  of  the 
joyful  news.  His  heart  fainted ;  ceased  to  beat  for  a  time,  fluttered, 
sank  within  him.  The  news  was  too  good  for  him  to  venture  all  at 
once  to  believe  it.  But  the  words  of  Joseph,  which  they  recite,  and 
the  wagons  which  he  had  sent,  at  length  lead  to  the  conviction  that 
it  must  be  indeed  true.  He  is  satisfied.  His  only  thought  is  to  go  and 
see  Joseph  before  he  dies.  A  sorrow  of  twenty-two  years'  standing  has 
now  been  wiped  away. 


LXXIV.    JACOB  GOES  DOWN  TO  EGYPT.  —  Gen.  xhi. 

9.  Kii^Q  Pallu,  distinguished.     *p^n  Chetsron,  of  the  court,  or  vil- 
lage.    ■'H'^.S  Karmi,  vine-dresser. 

10.  b^tfit:';  Jemuel,  day  of  El.  )'^Xi'^  Jamin,  right  hand,  ink  Ohad, 
joining  together,  "p:^  Jakin,  he  shall  establish,  "inbj  Tsochar,  white- 
ness. 

11.  'iona  Gereshon,  expelling,  nr-p  Qehath,  assembly.  I'l'nri  Me- 
rsLvi,  flowing,  bitter. 

12.  h^izt:  Chamul,  pitied,  treated  with  mercy. 

13.  rbin  Tola',  worm,  scarlet.  njQ  Puvvah,  mouth?  21"'^  Job, 
enemy?     'p^TS  Shimron,  watch. 

14.  *TiD  Sered,  fear.  -ji^N  Elon,  oak.  i^XPn^  Jachleel,  M  shall 
sicken  or  inspire  with  hope. 

16.  '(i'^sa    Tsiphjon,    watcher.      "^an    Chaggi,  festive,     ij^iia    Shuni, 


486  JACOB  GOES  DOWN  TO  EGYPT. 

quiet.  "jSa^S  Etsbon,  toiling'?  ^^3  'Eri,  watcher,  'inlnx  Arodi,  ro- 
ver 1     i^p xi S  Areli,  ?io?i  o/ AV? 

17.  na:?-;  Jimnah,  prosperity,  nv:;"!  Jishvah,  ^l.Tai.  Jislivi,  even,  level. 
'nv'^^'z.  Beriab,  in  evil,  rrnb  Serach,  overfiow.  inn  Qheher,  fellow- 
ship.    ^i<'i3^^  Malkiel,  king  of  El. 

21.  "bin  Bela',  devouring.  "153  Beker,  a  young  camel,  ba^i?  Asli- 
bel,  short  ?  Xia  Gerah,  o  grain.  ■j'jS!  5  Na  aman,  pleasant,  ''nx  Echi, 
hrotherly'i  tixi  Rosh,  ^eac?.  d'^Qa  Muppim,  DiQn  Chuppim,  covering. 
•nix  Ard,  fugitive,  rover. 

23.  niiiin  Chushim,  /^aste. 

24.  K*<:sn::  Jachtseel,  ^Z  ^vill  divide.  ^i'^i>  Guni,  d^yec?.  1^;^  Jetser, 
form.     diT'li  Shillem,  retribution. 

XLVI.  1.  And  Israel  set  out  with  all  that  he  had,  and 
went  to  Beer-sheba,  and  offered  sacrifices  unto  the  God  of  his 
father  Isaac.  2.  And  God  said  to  Israel  in  the  visions  of  the 
night,  and  he  said,  Jacob,  Jacob !     And  he  said.  Here  am  I. 

3.  And  he  said,  I  am  God,  the  God  of  thy  father :  fear  not  to 
go  down  to  Mizraim  ;  for  a  great  nation  will  I  make  thee  there. 

4.  I  will  go  down  with  thee  to  Mizraim,  and  I  will  also  surely 
bring  thee  up  :  and  Joseph  shall  put  his  hand  upon  thine  eyes. 

5.  And  Jacob  rose  up  from  Beer-sheba :  and  the  sons  of  Is- 
rael carried  Jacob  their  father,  and  their  little  ones,  and  their 
wives,  in  the  wagons  which  Pharoli  had  sent  to  carry  him.  6. 
And  they  took  their  cattle,  and  their  goods,  wliich  they  had 
gained  in  the  land  of  Kenaan,  and  went  into  Mizraim.,  Jacob, 
and  all  his  seed  with  him  ;  7.  His  sons,  and  liis  sons'  sons 
with  him,  his  daughters,  and  his  sons'  daughters,  and  all  his 
seed  brought  he  with  him  into  Mizraim.  §  42. 

8.  And  these  are  the  names  of  the  sons  of  Israel,  who  went 
into  Mizraim,  Jacob  and  his  sons :  Jacob's  first-born,  Reuben, 
9.  And  the  sons  of  Reuben :  Henok  and  Pallu  and  Ilezron 
and  Karmi.  10.  And  the  sons  of  Simon  :  Jemuel  and  Jamin 
and  Chad  and  Jakin  and  Zohar,  and  Saul  son  of  a  Kenaanit- 
ess.  11.  And  the  sons  of  Levi :  Gcrshon,  Kohath  and  Mera- 
ri.   12.  And  the  sons  of  Judah :  Er  and  Onan  and  Shelah  and 


GEN.   XLVI.  487 

Perez  and  Zorali ;  and  Er  and  Onan  died  in  the  land  of  Kc- 
naan  ;  and  the  sons  of  Perez  were  Hezron  and  Hamul.  13. 
And  the  sons  of  Issakar :  Tola  and  Puah  and  Job  and  Shim- 
ron.  14.  And  the  sons  of  Zebulun  :  Sered  and  Elon  and  Jah- 
leol.  15.  These  are  the  sons  of  Leah,  whom  she  l^are  to  Jacob 
ill  Padan-aram,  and  Dinah  his  daughter  :  all  the  souls,  his  sons 
and  his  daughters,  were  thirty  and  three.  16.  And  the  sons 
of  Gad  :  Zipliion  and  Haggi,  Shuni  and  Ezbon,  Eri  and  Arodi 
and  Areli.  17.  And  the  sons  of  Asher  :  Jimnah  and  Jishvah 
and  Jishvi  and  Beriah,  and  Serah  their  sister ;  and  the  sons  of 
Beriali,  Heber  and  Malkiel.  18.  These  are  the  sons  of  Zilpah, 
whom  Laban  gave  to  Leah  his  daughter ;  and  she  bare  them  to 
Jacob,  sixteen  souls.  19.  The  sons  of  Rachel,  Jacob's  wife  : 
Joseph  and  Benjamin.  20.  And  born  to  Joseph  in  the  land 
of  Mizraim  were  those  whom  Asenath,  daughter  of  Potiphera, 
priest  of  On,  bare  unto  him,  Menasseh  and  Ephraim.  21.  And 
the  sons  of  Benjamin  :  Bela  and  Beker  and  Ashbel,  Gera  and 
Naaman,  Ehi  and  Rosh,  Muppim  and  Huppim  and  Ard.  22. 
These  are  the  sons  of  Rachel,  who  were  born  to  Jacob :  all  the 
souls  were  fourteen.  23.  And  the  sons  of  Dan :  Husliim.  24. 
And  the  sons  of  Naphtali  :  Jahzeel  and  Guni  and  Jezer  and 
Shillem.  25.  These  are  the  sons  of  Bilhah,  whom  Laban  gave 
to  Rachel  his  daughter :  and  she  bare  these  to  Jacob  ;  all  the 
souls  were  seven.  23.  All  the  souls  that  went  with  Jacob  into 
Mizraim,  who  came  out  of  his  loins,  besides  the  wives  of  Ja- 
cob's sons  ;  all  the  souls  were  sixty  and  six.  27.  And  the  sons 
of  Joseph,  that  were  born  to  him  in  Mizraim,  were  two  souls. 
All  the  souls  of  the  house  of  Jacob  which  went  into  Mizraim 
were  seventy.  §  43. 

28.  And  Judah  he  sent  before  him  to  Joseph,  to  lead  the 
way  before  him  to  Goshen  ;  and  they  went  into  the  land  of 
Goshen.  29.  And  Joseph  yoked  his  chariot,  and  went  up  to 
meet  Israel  his  father  to  Goshen  ;  and  he  appeared  to  him,  and 
fell  on  his  neck,  and  wept  long  on  his  neck.  30.  And  Israel 
said  unto  Joseph,  Let  me  die  now,  after  I  have  seen  thy  face, 


488  JACOB  GOES  DOWN  TO  EGYPT. 

that  thou  art  yet  alive.  31.  And  Joseph  said  unto  his  breth- 
ren, and  unto  his  fatlier's  house,  I  will  go  up  and  tell  Pha- 
roh ;  and  I  will  say  unto  him.  My  brethren,  and  my  fatlier's 
house,  that  were  in  the  land  of  Kenaan,  are  come  unto  me. 
32.  And  the  men  are  shepherds,  for  men  of  cattle  have  they 
been ;  and  their  flocks,  and  their  herds,  and  all  that  they  have, 
they  have  brought.  33.  And  it  shall  come  to  pass  that  Pha- 
roh  shall  call  you  ;  and  he  shall  say,  What  is  your  occupa- 
tion ?  84.  And  ye  shall  say.  Men  of  cattle  have  thy  servants 
been  from  our  youth  even  until  now,  both  we  and  our 
fathers  :  that  ye  may  dwell  in  the  land  of  Goshen ;  for  every 
shepherd  is  the  abomination  of  Mizraim. 

The  second  dream  of  Joseph  is  now  to  receive  its  fulfilment.  His  fa- 
ther is  to  bow  down  before  him.  His  mother  is  dead.  It  is  probable  that 
also  Leah  is  deceased.  The  figure,  by  which  the  dream  shadows  forth 
tlie  reality,  is  fulfilled,  when  the  spirit  of  it  receives  its  accomplishment. 

1-4.  Jacob  arriving  at  Beer-sheba  is  encouraged  by  a  revelation 
from  God.  Beer-sheba  may  be  regarded  as  the  fourth  scene  of  Abra- 
ham's abode  in  the  land  of  promise.  Offered  sacrifices.  He  had 
gathered  from  the  words  of  the  Lord  to  Abraham  (xv.  13),  and  the 
way  in  which  the  dreams  of  Joseph  were  realized  in  the  events  of 
Providence,  that  his  family  were  to  descend  into  Egypt.  He  felt 
therefore  that  in  taking  this  step  he  was  obeying  the  will  of  Heaven. 
Hence  he  approaches  God  in  sacrifices  at  an  old  abode  of  Abraham 
and  Isaac,  before  he  crosses  the  border  to  pass  into  Egypt.  On  this 
solemn  occasion  God  appears  to  him  in  the  visions  of  the  night.  He 
designates  himself  El  the  Mighty,  and  the  God  of  his  father.  The 
former  name  cheers  him  with  the  thought  of  an  all-sufficient  Protector. 
The  latter  identifies  the  speaker  with  the  God  of  his  father,  and  there- 
fore with  the  God  of  eternity,  of  creation,  and  of  covenant.  Fear  not 
to  go  down  into  Mlzroim.  This  implies  both  that  it  was  the  will  of 
God  that  he  should  go  down  to  Egypt,  and  that  he  would  be  protected 
there.  A  great  nation.  Jacob  had  now  a  numerous  family,  of  whom 
no  longer  one  was  selected,  but  •  all  were  included  in  the  chosen  seed. 
He  had  received  the  special  blessing  and  injunction  to  be  fruitful  and 
multiply  (xxviii.  3,  xxxv.  11).  The  chosen  family  is  to  be  the  begin- 
ning of  the  chosen  nation.     /  will  go  down  with  thee.     The  I  is  here 


GEN.  XL VI.  489 

emphatic,  as  it  is  also  in  the  assurance  that  he  will  bring  him  up  in  the 
fulness  of  time  from  Egypt.  If  Israel  in  the  process  of  growth  from 
a  family  to  a  nation  had  remained  among  the  Kenaanites,  he  would 
have  been  amalgamated  with  the  nation  by  intermarriage,  and  con- 
formed to  its  vices.  By  his  removal  to  Egypt  he  is  kept  apart  from 
the  demoralizing  influence  of  a  nation,  whose  iniquity  became  so  great 
as  to  demand  a  judicial  extirpation  (xv.  16).  He  is  also  kept  from 
sinking  into  an  Egyptian  by  the  fact  that  a  shepherd,  as  he  was,  is  an 
abomination  to  Egypt ;  by  his  location  in  the  comparatively  high  land 
of  Goshen,  which  is  a  border  land,  not  naturally,  but  only  politically, 
belonging  to  Egypt ;  and  by  the  reduction  of  his  race  to  a  body  of 
serfs,  Avith  whom  that  nation  would  not  condescend  to  intermingle.  Jo- 
seph shall  put  his  hand  upon  thine  eyes.  His  long-lost  son  shall  be 
present  to  perform  the  last  offices  to  him  when  deceased. 

5-7.  The  descent  into  Egypt  is  now  described.  His  daughters,  and 
his  sons'  daughters.  In  the  following  list  only  one  daughter  of  Jacob 
is  mentioned,  Dinah,  and  only  one  son's  daughter,  Serah.  It  is  possible, 
but  not  probable,  that  there  were  more  daughters  than  these  at  the 
time  in  his  family.  But  even  if  there  were  no  others,  the  plural  is 
adopted  in  order  to  correspond  with  the  general  form  of  classification, 
from  which  the  one  daughter  and  the  one  granddaughter  are  merely 
accidental  deviations.  The  same  principle  applies  to  the  sons  of  Dan 
(v.  23),  and  to  other  instances  in  Scripture  (1  Chron.  ii.  8,  42). 

8-27.  The  list  here  given  of  the  family  of  Jacob  as  it  came  down 
into  Egypt  is  not  to  be  identified  with  a  list  of  their  descendants  two 
hundi-ed  and  fifty  years  after,  contained  in  Num.  xxvi.,  or  with  another 
list  constructed  after  the  captivity,  and  referring  to  certain  of  their 
descendants  in  and  after  the  times  of  the  monarchy.  Nor  is  this  the 
place  to  mark  out  or  investigate  the  grounds  of  the  diversities  from  the 
present  which  these  later  lists  exhibit.  Our  proper  business  here  is  to 
examine  into  the  nature  and  import  of  this  ancient  and  original  list 
of  the  family  of  Jacob.  It  purports  to  be  a  list  of  the  names  of  the 
sons  of  Israel,  zvho  went  into  Mizraim.  This  phrase  implies  that  the 
sons  of  Israel  actually  went  down  into  Egypt ;  and  this  is  accordingly 
historically  true  of  all  his  immediate  sous,  Joseph  having  gone  thither 
about  twenty-two  years  before  the  others.  And  the  word  ''  sons  "  is  to 
be  understood  here  in  its  strict  sense,  as  we  find  it  in  the  immediate  con- 
text (v.  7)  distinguished  from  sons'  sons  and  other  descendants.  Jacob 
and  his  sons.  From  this  expression  we  perceive  the  progenitor  is  to 
be  included  with  the  sons  among  those  v/ho  descended  to  Egypt.  This 
62 


490  JACOB  GOES  DOWN  TO  EGYPT. 

also  is  bistorically  exact.  For  the  sake  of  clearness  it  is  proper  here 
to  state  the  approximate  ages  of  these  heads  of  Israel  at  the  time  of  the 
descent.  Jacob  himself  was  130  years  of  age  (xlvii.  9).  Joseph  was 
in  his  thirtieth  year  when  he  stood  before  Pharoh  to  interpret  his 
dreams  and  receive  his  commission  as  governor-general  of  Egypt, 
(xli.  4G).  At  the  end  of  the  second  year  of  the  famine  nine  full  years 
were  added  to  his  life.  He  was  therefore,  we  may  suppose,  39  years 
old  when  Jacob  arrived  iii  Egypt,  and  born  when  his  father  was  91. 
As  we  conceive  that  he  was  born  in  the  fifteenth  year  of  Jacob's  so- 
journ in  Padan-aram,  and  Reuben  in  the  eighth,  we  infer  that  Reuben 
was  at  the  time  of  the  descent  into  Egypt  seven  years  older  than  Jo- 
seph, or  46,  Simon  45,  Levi  44,  Judah  43,  Dan  about  43,  Naphtali 
about  42,  Gad  about  42,  Asher  about  41,  Issakar  about  41,  Zebulun 
about  40,  Dinah  about  39,  Benjamin  about  26.  Jacob's  first-born 
Reuben.  This  refers  to  the  order  of  nature,  without  implying  that  the 
rights  of  first-birth  were  to  be  secured  to  Reuben  (1  Chron.  v.  1,  2). 
9-15.  Tlie  sons  of  Leah  and  their  descendants  are  here  enu- 
merated. Reuben  has  four  sons,  who  appear  without  variation  in  the 
other  two  lists  (Num.  xxvi.  5,  G ;  1  Chron.  v.  3).  Of  th(;  six  sons  of 
Simon,  Ohad  appears  in  the  other  lists,  and  Nemuel  and  Zerah  appear 
as  colloquial  variations  of  Jemuel  and  Zohar.  Such  diversities  in  oral 
language  are  usual  to  this  day  in  the  East  and  elsewhere.  Son  of  a 
Kenaonitess.  This  implies  that  intermarriage  with  the  Kenaanites 
was  the  exception  to  the  rule  in  the  family  of  Jacob.  "Wives  might 
have  been  obtained  from  Hebrew,  Aramaic,  or  at  all  events  Shemite 
tribes  who  were  living  in  their  vicinity.  The  three  sons  of  Levi  are 
common  to  all  the  lists,  with  the  slight  variation  of  Gershom  for  Ger- 
shon.  The  sons  of  Judah  are  also  unvaried.  We  are  here  reminded 
that  Er  and  Onon  died  in  the  land  of  Kenaan  (v.  38),  and  of  course 
did  not  come  down  into  Egypt.  The  extraordinary  circumstances  of 
Judah's  family  are  recorded  in  ch.  xxxviii.  In  order  that  Ilezron 
and  Ilamul  may  have  been  born  at  the  arrival  of  Jacob's  household  in 
Egypt,  Judah's  and  Perez's  first  sons  must  have  been  bom  in  the  four- 
teenth year  of  tlieir  respective  fathers.  For  the  discussion  of  this 
matter  see  the  remarks  on  that  chapter.  The  four  sous  of  Issakar 
occur  in  the  other  lists,  witli  the  variation  of  Jashub  for  Job.  The 
three  sons  of  Zebulun  recur  in  the  book  of  Numbers ;  but  in  the  list 
of  Chronicles  no  mention  is  made  of  his  posterity.  Dinah  does  not 
appear  in  the  other  lists.  The  descendants  of  Leah  are  in  all  thirty- 
two  ;  six  sons,  one  daughter,  twenty-three  grandsons,  and  two  great- 


GEN.  XI. VI.  491 

grandsons.  All  the  souls,  his  sons  and  his  daughters,  were  thirty  and 
three.  Here  "  all  the  souls  "  include  Jacob  liimself,  and  "  his  sons  and 
his  daughters"  are  to  be  understood  as  a  specification  of  what  is  in- 
cluded besides  himself. 

lG-18.  Next  are  enumerated  the  sons  of  Zilpah,  Leah's  hand- 
maid. The  seven  sons  of  Gad  recur  in  Num.  xxvi.,  with  the  variants 
Zephon,  Ozni,  and  Ai'od,  for  Ziphion,  Ezbon,  and  Arodi ;  but  they  do 
not  occur  in  Chronicles.  Of  Asher's  five  children,  Jishuah  is  omitted 
in  Numbers,  but  appears  in  Chronicles.  This  seems  to  arise  from  the 
circumstances  that  the  list  in  Numbers  was  drawn  up  at  the  time  of 
the  facts  recorded,  and  that  in  Chronicles  is  extracted  partly  from 
Genesis.  The  other  names  are  really  the  same  in  all  the  lists.  The 
descendants  of  Zilpah  are  sixteen,  —  tv/o  sous,  eleven  grandsons,  one 
granddaughter,  and  two  great-gi-audsons. 

19-22.  The  sons  of  Rachel.  It  is  remai'kable  that  she  alone  is 
called  the  wife  of  Jacob,  because  she  was  the  wife  of  his  choice.  Yet 
the  children  of  the  beloved,  we  perceive,  are  not  placed  before  those 
of  the  less  loved  (Deut.  xxi.  15,  IG).  Joseph's  tvro  sons  are  the  same 
in  all  lists.  Of  the  ten  sons  of  Benjamin  only  five  appear  in  Num- 
bers (xxvi.  38-41),  Bela  and  Ashbel  being  the  same,  and  Ahiram, 
Shuphara,  and  Ilupham,  being  variants  of  Ehi,  Muppim,  and  Iluppim. 
In  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  the  other  five  have  become  extinct. 
Naaman  and  Ard  seem  to  have  died  early,  as  two  sons  of  Bela, 
named  after  them,  take  their  places  as  heads  of  families  or  clans.  In 
Chronicles  (vii.  G-12)  we  have  two  lists  of  his  descendants  which  do 
not  seem  to  be  primary,  as  they  do  not  agree  with  either  of  the  former 
lists,  or  with  one  another,  though  some  of  the  names  recur.  The 
descendants  of  Rachel  are  fourteen,  —  two  sons  and  twelve  grand- 
sons. 

23-25.  The  sons  of  Bilhah,  Rachel's  handmaid,  come  last.  Hushim, 
the  son  of  Dan,  appears  in  Numbers  (xxvi.  42)  as  Shuham,  and  per- 
haps in  Chronicles  (vii.  12)  in  an  obscure  connection.  The  four  sons 
of  Naphtali  occur  in  all  the  lists,  Shallum  being  the  variant  in  Chron- 
icles (vii.  13)  for  Shillem.  The  descendants  of  Bilhah  are  seven, — 
two  sons  and  five  grandsons. 

26,  27.  All  the  souls  that  went  with  Jacob  into  Egypt,  that  came 
out  of  his  loins,  were  eleven  sons,  one  daughter,  fifty  grandchildren, 
and  four  great-grandsons;  in  all,  sixty-six.  Jacob,  Joseph  and  his 
two  sons,  are  four ;  and  thus  all  the  souls  belonging  to  the  family  of 
Jacob  -w'hich  went  into  Egypt  were  seventy.     This  account,  with  its 


492  JACOB  GOES  DOWN  TO  EGYPT. 

somewhat  intricate  details,  is  expressed  with  remarkable  brevity  and 
simplicity. 

The  Septuagint  gives  seventy-five  as  the  sum-total,  which  is  made 
out  by  inserting  Makir  the  son,  and  Gilead  the  grandson  of  Menasseh, 
Shuthelah  and  Tahan,  sons,  and  Edom  or  Eran,  a  grandson  of  Ephraim 
(Num.  xxvi.).  This  version  has  also  the  incorrect  statement  that  the 
sons  of  Joseph  born  to  him  in  Egypt  were  nine ;  whereas  by  its  own 
showing  they  were  seven,  and  Jacob  and  Josepli  are  to  be  added  to 
make  up  the  nine.  Some  suppose  that  Stephen's  statement  —  a-n-ocr- 
ret'Aa?  Se  Iwcrr/^  {xeTeKaXeaaTO  tov  Trarepa  avTov  laKoi/B  koL  Tracrav  t7;v 
<Tvyy£veiav  iu  \pv^ai<;  e/38o/xryKOV7a  irivre.  —  is  founded  on  this  version.  If 
Stephen  here  quoted  the  Septuagint  as  a  well-known  version,  he  was 
accountable  only  for  the  correctness  of  his  quotation,  and  not  for  the 
error  which  had  crept  into  his  authority.  This  was  immaterial  to  his 
present  purpose,  and  it  was  not  the  manner  of  the  sacred  speakers  to 
turn  aside  from  their  grand  task  to  the  pedantry  of  criticism.  But  it 
is  much  more  likely  that  the  text  of  the  Septuagint  has  here  been  con- 
formed in  a  bungling  way  to  the  number  given  by  Stephen.  For  it  is 
to  be  observed  that  his  number  refers,  according  to  the  text,  to  Jacob 
and  all  his  kindred,  exclusive  of  Joseph  and  his  sotis.  They  could  not 
therefore  amount  to  seventy-five,  but  only  to  sixty-seven,  if  we  count 
merely  Jacob  and  his  proper  descendants.  It  is  probable,  therefore, 
that  in  the  idea  of  Stephen  the  "  kindred  "  of  Jacob  included  the  eight 
or  nine  surviving  wives  that  accompanied  the  children  of  Israel.  Ju- 
dah's  wife  was  dead,  and  it  is  probable  that  Reuben's  was  also  de- 
ceased before  he  committed  incest  with  Bilhah.  If  there  were  two  or 
three  more  w^idowers  the  number  of  surviving  wives  would  be  eight  or 
nine. 

The  number  of  the  children  of  Israel  is  very  particularly  noted. 
But  the  Scripture  lays  no  stress  upon  the  number  itself,  and  makes  no 
particular  application  of  it.  It  stands  forth,  therefore,  on  the  record 
merely  as  a  historical  fact.  It  is  remarkable  that  it  is  the  product  of 
seven,  the  number  of  holiness ;  and  ten,  the  number  of  completeness. 
It  is  still  more  remarkable  that  it  is  the  number  of  the  names  of  those 
who  are  the  heads  of  the  primitive  nations.  This  is  in  accordance 
with  the  fact  that  the  church  is  the  counterpart  of  the  world,  not  only 
in  diversity  of  character  and  destiny,  but  also  in  the  adaptation  of  the 
former  to  work  out  the  restitution  of  all  things  to  God  in  the  latter. 
The  covenant  with  Abraham  is  a  special  means  by  which  the  seed 
may  come,  who  is  to  give  legal  and  vital  efiect  to  the  old  and  general 


GEN.  XT. VI.  493 

covenant  with  Noah  the  representative  cf  the  nations.  The  church  of 
God  in  the  world  is  to  be  the  instrument  by  which  the  kingdom  of  the 
world  is  to  become  the  kingdom  of  Christ.  "  When  the  Most  High 
bestowed  the  inheritance  on  the  nations,  when  he  separated  the  sons 
of  Adam,  he  set  the  bounds  of  the  peoples  according  to  the  number  of 
the  sons  of  Israel "  (Deut.  xxxii.  8).  This  curious  sentence  may- 
have  an  immediate  reference  to  the  providential  distribution  of  the 
human  family  over  the  habitable  parts  of  the  earth,  according  to  the 
number  of  his  church,  and  of  his  dispensation  of  grace ;  but  at  all 
events  it  conveys  the  great  and  obvious  principle  that  all  things  what- 
soever in  the  affairs  of  men  are  antecedently  adapted  with  the  most 
perfect  exactitude  to  the  benign  reign  of  grace  already  realized  in  the 
children  of  God,  and  yet  to  be  extended  to  all  the  sons  and  daughters 
of  Adam. 

28-34.  The  settlement  in  Goshen  is  now  narrated.  Judah  he  sent 
before  him.  "We  have  already  seen  why  the  three  older  sons  of  Jacob 
were  disqualified  for  taking  the  lead  in  important  matters  relating  to 
the  family.  To  lead  the  way  before  him  into  Goshen,  —  to  get  the  requi- 
site directions  from  Joseph,  and  then  conduct  the  immigrants  to  their 
destined  resting-place.  And  went  up.  Egypt  was  the  valley  of  the  Nile, 
and  therefore  a  low  country.  Goshen  was  comparatively  high,  and 
therefore  at  some  distance  from  the  Nile  and  the  sea.  And  he  ap- 
peared unto  him.  A  phrase  usually  applied  to  the  appearance  of  God 
to  men,  and  intended  to  intimate  the  unexpectedness  of  the  sight, 
which  now  came  before  the  eyes  of  Jacob.  31.  /  will  go  up.  In  a 
courtly  sense,  to  approach  the  residence  of  the  sovereign  is  to  go  up. 
Joseph  intends  to  make  the  "  occupation  "  of  his  kindred  a  prominent 
part  of  his  communication  to  Pharoh,  in  order  to  secure  their  settle- 
ment in  Goshen.  This  he  considers  desirable,  on  two  grounds :  first, 
because  Goshen  was  best  fitted  for  j^asture  ;  and  secondly,  because  the 
chosen  family  would  thus  be  comparatively  isolated  from  Egj^ptian 
society.  The  two  nations  were  in  some  important  respects  mutually 
repulsive.  The  idolatrous  and  superstitious  customs  of  the  Egyptians 
were  abhorrent  to  a  worshipper  of  the  true  God  ;  and  "  every  shep- 
herd was  the  abomination  of  Egypt."  The  expression  here  employed 
is  very  strong,  and  rises  even  to  a  religious  aversion.  Herodotus 
makes  the  cowherds  the  third  of  the  seven  classes  into  which  the 
Egyptians  were  divided  (Her.  ii.  164).  Others  include  them  in  the 
lowest  class  of  the  community.  This,  however,  is  not  sufficient  to 
account   for   the  national  antipathy.      About  seventeen   or  eighteen 


494  JACOB  IN  GOSHEN. 

centuries  before  the  Christian  era  it  is  probable  that  the  Hyksos,  or 
shepherd  kings,  were  masters  of  the  southern  part  of  the  country, 
while  a  native  dynasty  still  prevailed  in  lower  Egypt.  The  religion 
of  these  shepherd  intruders  was  different  from  that  of  the  Egyptians, 
which  they  treated  with  disrespect.  They  were  addicted  to  the 
barbarities  which  are  usually  incident  to  a  foreign  rule.  It  is  not 
surprising,  therefore,  that  the  shepherd  became  the  abomination  of 
Egypt. 


LXXV.    JACOB  IN  GOSHEN.—  Gen.  xlvii. 

11.  &C73:"i  Ra'meses,  son  of  the  saji. 
31.  n-jri  bed.     n^-q  staff". 

XLVII.  1.  And  Joseph  went  and  told  Pharoh  :  and  he 
said,  My  father  and  my  brethren,  and  their  flocks  and  their 
herds,  and  all  that  they  have,  are  come  out  of  tlie  land  of 
Kenaan  :  and,  behold,  they  are  in  the  land  of  Goshen.  2. 
And  of  the  whole  of  his  brethren  he  took  five  men,  and  set 
tlicm  before  Pharoh.  3.  And  Pharoh  said  unto  liis  brethren, 
What  is  your  occupation  ?  And  they  said  unto  Pliaroh, 
Shepherds  are  thy  servants,  both  we  and  our  fathers.  4.  And 
they  said  unto  Pharoh,  To  sojourn  in  the  land  are  we  come ; 
for  there  is  no  pasture  for  the  flock  of  thy  servants  ;  for  sore 
is  the  famine  in  the  land  of  Kenaan  :  and  therefore  let  thy 
servants  now  dwell  in  the  land  of  Goshen.  5.  And  Pharoh 
said  unto  Joseph,  saying.  Thy  fatlicr  and  tliy  brethren  are 
come  unto  thee.  6.  The  land  of  Mizraim  is  before  thee  ;  in 
the  best  of  the  land  settle  thy  father  and  thy  brethren :  let 
them  dwell  in  the  land  of  Goshen  ;  and  if  thou  knowest  and 
there  be  among  them  men  of  ability,  then  make  them  masters 
of  my  cattle.  7.  And  Joseph  brought  Jacob  his  father,  and 
set  him  before  Pharoh  :  and  Jacob  blessed  Pharoh.  8.  And 
Pharoh  said  unto  Jacob,  What  are  the  days  of  the  years  of 
tliy  lify  ?     0.  And  Jacob  said  unto  Pharoh,  The  days  of  the 


GEN.  XLvn.  495 

years  of  my  pilgrimago  are  tliirty  and  a  Imiidred  years :  few 
and  evil  have  been  the  days  of  the  years  of  my  life,  and  they 
have  not  attained  unto  the  days  of  the  years  of  the  life  of  my 
fathers  in  the  days  of  their  pilgrimage.  10.  And  Jacob  blessed 
Pharoh,  and  came  out  from  before  Pharoh.  11.  And  Joseph 
settled  his  father  and  his  brethren ;  and  gave  them  a  posses- 
sion in  the  land  of  Mizraim,  in  the  best  of  the  land,  in  the 
land  of  Rameses ;  as  Pharoh  had  commanded.  12.  And 
Joseph  sustained  his  father,  and  his  brethren,  and  all  his 
father's  house  with  bread,  according  to  the  little  ones. 

13.  And  there  was  no  bread  in  all  the  land  ;  for  the  famine 
was  very  sore;  and  the  land  of  Mizraim  and  the  land  of 
Kenaan  fainted  by  reason  of  the  famine.  14.  And  Joseph 
gathered  up  all  the  silver  that  was  found  in  the  land  of  Miz- 
raim and  in  the  land  of  Kenaan,  for  the  grain  which  they 
bought :  and  Joseph  brought  the  silver  into  Pharoh's  house. 
15.  And  the  silver  was  spent  from  the  land  of  Mizraim,  and 
from  the  land  of  Kenaan ;  and  all  Mizraim  went  to  Joseph, 
saying,  Give  us  bread,  for  why  should  we  die  in  thy  presence  ? 
for  silver  faileth.  IG.  And  Joseph  said,  Give  your  cattle; 
and  I  will  give  you  for  your  cattle,  if  silver  fail.  17.  And 
they  brought  their  cattle  unto  Joseph  :  and  Joseph  gave  them 
bread,  for  the  horses  and  for  the  cattle  of  sheep,  and  for  the 
cattle  of  oxen,  and  for  the  asses :  and  he  provided  them  with 
bread  for  all  their  cattle  that  year.  18.  And  that  year  was 
ended  ;  and  they  went  to  him  the  second  year,  and  said  unto 
him,  We  will  not  hide  from  my  lord  that  the  silver  is  spent, 
and  the  cattle  of  beasts  belong  to  my  lord  :  there  is  naught 
left  before  my  lord  but  our  bodies  and  our  soil.  19.  "Where- 
fore sliall  we  die  before  thine  eyes,  both  wo  and  our  soil  ? 
Buy  us  and  our  soil  for  bread :  and  we  and  our  soil  will  be 
servants  unto  Pharoh ;  and  give  seed,  and  we  sliall  live  and 
not  die,  and  the  soil  shall  not  be  waste.  20.  And  Joseph 
bought  all  the  soil  of  Mizraim  for  Pharoh ;  for  Mizraim  sold 
every  man  his  field,  because  the  famine   had   laid  hold  on 


496  JACOB  IN  GOSHEN. 

tlioni :  and  the  land  became  Pharoli's.  21.  And  the  people 
he  removed  into  the  cities,  from  one  end  of  the  border  of 
Mizraim  unto  the  other  end  thereof.  22.  Only  the  soil  of  the 
priests  bought  he  not :  for  the  priests  had  a  stated  rate  from 
Pharoh  ;  wherefore  they  sold  not  their  soil.  23.  And  Joseph 
said  unto  the  people,  Behold,  I  have  bought  you  this  day  and 
your  soil  for  Pharoh  :  here  is  seed  for  you,  and  ye  shall  sow 
the  soil.  24.  And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in  the  increase,  tliat 
ye  shall  give  tlie  fifth  to  Pharoh :  and  four  parts  shall  be  your 
ovm,  for  seed  of  the  field,  and  for  your  food,  and  for  those  in 
your  houses,  and  for  your  little  ones  to  eat.  25.  And  they 
said,  Thou  hast  kept  us  alive  :  let  us  find  grace  in  the  eyes  of 
my  lord,  and  we  will  be  servants  to  Pharoh.  26.  And  Joseph 
made  it  a  statute  unto  this  day  over  the  soil  of  Mizraim,  that 
Pharoh  should  have  the  fifth :  but  the  soil  of  the  priests  alone 
became  not  Pharoh's. 

27.  And  Israel  dwelt  in  the  land  of  Mizraim,  in  the  land 
of  Goshen  :  and  they  were  possessed  thereof,  and  grew  and 
multiplied  exceedingly.  12 

28.  And  Jacob  lived  in  the  land  of  Egypt  seventeen  years  : 
and  the  days  of  Jacob,  the  years  of  his  life,  were  seven  and 
forty  and  a  hundred  years.  29.  And  the  days  of  Israel  drew 
nigh  to  his  death  ;  and  he  called  his  son  Joseph,  and  said 
unto  him.  If  now  I  have  found  grace  in  thine  eyes,  put  now 
thy  hand  under  my  thigh  :  and  do  with  me  kindness  and 
truth;  bury  me  not  now  in  Mizraim.  30.  And  I  will  lie 
with  my  fathers,  and  thou  shalt  carry  me  out  of  Mizraim,  and 
bury  me  in  their  burying-place.  And  he  said,  I  will  do  ac- 
cording to  thy  word.  31.  And  he  said,  Swear  unto  me. 
And  he  sware  unto  him :  and  Israel  bowed  himself  on  the 
liead  of  the  bed.  II  37 


Arrangements  are  now  made  for  the  settlement  of  Israel  in  Goslien. 
The  administration  of  Joseph  during  the  remaining  years  of  the  fam- 
ine is  then  recorded.     For  the  whole  of  this  period  his  father  and 


GEN.  XL VII.  497 

brothers  are  subject  to  him,  as  their  political  superior,  according  to  the 
reading  of  his  early  dreams.  We  then  approach  to  the  death-bed  of 
Jacob,  and  hear  him  binding  Joseph  by  an  oath  to  bury  him  in  the 
sepulchre  of  his  fathers. 

1-12.  Joseph  announces  to  Pharoh  the  arrival  of  his  kindred.  Of 
the  whole  of  his  brethreii,  more  exactly  from  the  end  of  his  brethren. 
Five  men,  a  favorite  number  in  Egypt.  Shepherds,  owners  and  feeders 
of  sheep  and  other  cattle.  5,  6.  Pasture.  Hence  it  appears  that  the 
drought  had  made  the  grazing  extremely  scanty.  Men  of  ability, 
competent  to  take  the  oversight  of  others.  7-10.  Jacob  his  father,  he 
presents  before  Pharoh,  after  he  has  disposed  of  all  business  matters. 
Jacob  blessed  Pharoh.  This  is  the  patriarch's  grateful  return  for 
Pharoh's  gi-eat  kindness  and  generosity  towards  him  and  his  house. 
He  is  conscious  of  even  a  higher  dignity  than  that  of  Pharoh,  as  he  is 
a  prince  of  God;  and  as  such  he  bestows  his  precious  benediction. 
Pharoh  was  struck  with  his  venerable  appearance,  and  inquired  what 
was  his  age.  Pilgrimage,  —  sojourning,  wandering  without  any  constant 
abode  or  fixed  holding.  Such  was  the  life  of  the  patriarchs  in  the  land 
of  promise  (Heb.  xi.  13).  Few  and  evil.  Jacob's  years  at  this  time 
were  far  short  of  those  of  Abraham  and  Isaac,  not  to  speak  of  more 
ancient  men.  Much  bitterness  also  had  been  mingled  in  his  cup  from 
the  time  that  he  beguiled  his  brother  of  the  birthright  and  the  blessing, 
which  would  have  come  to  him  in  a  lawful  way  if  he  had  only  waited 
in  patience.  Obliged  to  flee  for  his  life  from  his  father's  house, 
serving  seven  years  for  a  beloved  wife,  and  balked  in  his  expected 
recompense  by  a  deceitful  father-in-law,  serving  seven  long  years  more 
for  the  object  of  his  affections,  having  his  wages  changed  ten  times 
during  the  six  years  of  his  further  toil  for  a  maintenance,  afflicted  by 
the  dishonor  of  his  only  daughter,  the  reckless  revenge  taken  by  Simon 
and  Levi,  the  death  of  his  beloved  wife  in  childbed,  the  disgraceful 
incest  of  Reuben,  the  loss  of  Joseph  himself  for  twenty-two  years,  and 
the  present  famine  with  all  its  anxieties  —  Jacob,  it  must  be  confessed, 
has  become  acquainted  with  no  small  share  of  the  ills  of  life.  Blessed 
Pharoh.  It  is  possible  that  this  blessing  is  the  same  as  that  already 
mentioned,  now  reiterated  in  its  proper  place  in  the  narrative.  12. 
According  to  the  little  ones.  This  means  either  in  proportion  to  the 
number  in  each  household,  or  with  all  the  tenderness  with  which  a 
parent  provides  for  his  infant  offspring. 

lo-26.  Joseph  introduces  remarkable  changes  into  the  relation  of 
the  sovereign  and  the  people  of  Egypt.      There  was  no  bread  in  all  the 
G3 


498  JACOB  IN  GOSHEN. 

land.  The  pi'ivate  stores  of  the  wealthy  were  probably  exhausted. 
And  Joseph  gathered  up  all  the  silver.  The  old  stores  of  grain  and  the 
money,  which  had  flowed  into  the  country  during  the  years  of  plenty, 
seem  to  have  lasted  for  five  years.  And  Joseph  brought  the  silver  into 
Pharoh's  house.  He  was  merely  the  steward  of  Pharoh  in  this  matter, 
and  made  a  full  return  of  all  the  payments  that  came  into  his  hands. 
15-17.  The  silver  was  spent.  The  famishing  people  have  no  more 
money;  but  they  must  have  bread.  Joseph,  is  fertile  in  expedients. 
He  proposes  to  take  their  cattle.  This  was  really  a  relief  to  the  peo- 
ple, as  they  had  no  means  of  providing  them  with  fodder.  Tlie  value 
of  commodities  is  wholly  altered  by  a  change  of  circumstances.  Pearls 
will  not  purchase  a  cup  of  water  in  a  vast  and  dreary  wilderness. 
Cattle  become  worthless  when  food  becomes  scarce,  and  the  means  of 
procuring  it  are  exhausted.  For  their  cattle  Joseph  supplies  them 
with  food  during  the  sixth  year. 

18-20.  The  seventh  year  is  now  come.  The  silver  and  cattle  are 
now  gone.  Nothing  remains  but  their  lands,  and  with  these  themselves 
as  the  serfs  of  the  soil.  Accordingly  they  make  this  offer  to  Joseph, 
which  he  cannot  refuse.  Hence  it  is  evident  that  Phai'oh  had  as  yet 
no  legal  claim  to  the  soil.  In  primeval  times  the  first  entrants  into  an 
unoccupied  country  became,  by  a  natural  custom,  the  owners  of  the 
grounds  they  held  and  cultivated.  The  mere  nomad,  who  roamed  over 
a  wide  range  of  country,  where  his  flocks  merely  cropped  the  sponta- 
neous herbage,  did  not  soon  arrive  at  the  notion  of  private  property  in 
land.  But  the  husbandman,  who  settled  on  a  promising  spot,  broke 
up  the  soil,  and  sowed  the  seed,  felt  he  had  acquired  by  his  labor  a 
title  to  the  acres  he  had  cultivated  and  permanently  occupied,  and  this 
right  was  instinctively  acknowledged  by  others.  Hence  each  cultiva- 
tor grew  into  the  absolute  owner  of  his  own  farm.  Hence  the  lands 
of  Egypt  belonged  to  the  peasantry  of  the  country,  and  were  at  their 
disposal.  These  lands  had  now  become  valueless  to  those  who  had 
neither  provisions  for  themselves  nor  seed  for  their  ground.  They 
willingly  part  with  them,  tlierefore,  for  a  year's  provision  and  a  supply 
of  seed.  In  this  way  the  lands  of  Egypt  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
crown  by  a  free  purchase.  21,  22.  And  the  people  he  removed  into 
the  cities.  This  is  not  an  act  of  arbitrary  caprice,  but  a  wise  and  kind 
measure  for  the  more  convenient  nourishment  of  the  people  until  the 
new  arrangements  for  the  cultivation  of  the  soil  should  be  completed. 
Tlie  priestly  class  were  sustained  by  a  state  allowance,  and  therelbre 
were  not  obliged  to  alienate  their  lands.     Hence  they  became  by  this 


GEN.  XL VII.  499 

roclixl  revolution  a  privileged  order.  The  military  class  were  also  ex- 
empted most  probably  from  the  surrender  of  their  patrimonial  rights, 
as  they  were  maintained  on  the  crown  lands. 

23-26.  I  have  bought  you.  He  had  bought  their  latids,  and  so  they 
might  be  regarded,  in  some  sort,  as  the  servants  of  Pharoh,  or  the 
serfs  of  the  soil.  In  the  increase  ye  shall  give  the  fifth  to  Pharoh. 
This  explains  at  once  the  extent  of  their  liability,  and  the  security  of 
their  liberty  and  property.  They  do  not  become  Pharoh's  bondmen. 
They  own  their  land  under  him  by  a  new  tenure.  They  are  no  longer 
subject  to  arbitrary  exactions.  They  have  a  stated  annual  rent,  bear- 
ing a  fixed  ratio  to  the  amount  of  their  crop.  This  is  an  equitable 
adjustment  of  their  dues,  and  places  them  under  the  protection  of  a 
statute  law.  The  people  are  accordingly  well  pleased  with  the  en- 
actment of  Joseph,  which  becomes  henceforth  the  law  of  Egypt. 

27-31.  And  they  ivere  possessed  thereof.  They  become  owners  or 
tenants  of  the  soil  in  Goshen,  The  Israelites  were  recognized  as  sub- 
jects with  the  full  rights  of  freemen.  They  greio  and  multiplied  exceed- 
ingly. They  are  now  placed  in  a  definite  territory,  where  they  are  free 
from  the  contamination  which  arises  from  promiscuous  intermarriage 
with  an  idolatrous  race ;  and  hence  the  Lord  bestows  the  blessing  of 
fruitfulness  and  multiplication,  so  that  in  a  generation  or  two  more  they 
can  intermarry  among  themselves.  It  is  a  remarkable  circumstance 
that  until  now  we  read  of  only  two  daughtei's  in  the  family  of  Jacob. 
The  brotliers  could  not  marry  their  sisters,  and  it  was  not  desirable 
that  the  females  should  form  afiinity  with  the  heathen,  as  they  had  in 
general  to  follow  the  faith  of  their  husbands.  Here  the  twelfth  sec- 
tion of  the  Pentateuch  terminates. 

28-31.  Jacob  lives  seventeen  years  in  Egypt,  and  so  survives  the 
famine  twelve  years.  He  called  his  son  Joseph.  Joseph  retained  his 
power  and  place  near  Pharoh  after  the  fourteen  years  of  special  ser- 
vice were  completed ;  hence  Jacob  looks  to  him  for  the  accomplish- 
ment of  his  wishes  concerning  the  place  of  his  burial.  Put  thy  hand 
under  my  thigh  (xxiv.  2),  He  binds  Joseph  by  a  solemn  asseveration 
to  carry  his  mortal  remains  to  the  land  of  promise.  And  Israel  bowed 
himself  on  the  head  of  the  bed.  On  receiving  the  solemn  promise  of 
Joseph,  he  turns  towards  the  head  of  the  bed,  and  assumes  the  posture 
of  adoration,  rendering,  no  doubt,  thanks  to  God  for  all  the  mercies  of 
his  past  life,  and  for  this  closing  token  of  filial  duty  and  affection. 
The  Septuagint  has  the  rendering  eVl  to  aKpov  t^;  pd^Sov  avTov,  "  on 
the  top  of  his  staff,"  which  is  given  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews 


500  JOSEPH  VISITS  HIS  SICK  FATHER. 

(xl.  21).     This  is  obtained  by  a  mere  change  in  the  vowel  pointing 
of  the  last  word. 


LXXVI.    JOSEPH  VISITS  HIS  SICK  FATHER. -Gen.  xlviii. 

XLVIII.  1.  And  it  came  to  pass  after  these  things,  thq^t 
one  said  to  Joseph,  Behold,  thy  father  is  sick.  And  he  took 
his  two  sons  witli  him,  Menasseh  and  Ephraim.  2.  And  one 
told  Jacob,  and  said,  Behold,  thy  son  Joseph  cometh  unto 
thee  :  and  Israel  strengthened  himself  and  sat  upon  the  bed. 
3.  And  Jacob  said  unto  Joseph,  God  Almighty  appeared  unto 
me  at  Luz  in  the  land  of  Kenaan,  and  blessed  me  ;  4.  And 
said  imto  me,  Behold,  I  will  make  thee  fruitful,  and  multiply 
thee,  and  make  thee  a  multitude  of  people  :  and  I  will  give 
this  land  to  thy  seed  after  thee  as  a  perpetual  possession.  5. 
And  now  thy  two  sons  that  were  born  to  thee  in  the  land  of 
Mizraim  are  mine  :  Ephraim  and  Menasseh,  as  Reuben  and 
Simon,  shall  be  mine.  6.  And  thy  issue  which  thou  begettest 
after  them  shall  bo  thine  ;  after  the  name  of  their  brethren 
shall  they  be  called  in  their  inheritance.  7.  And  as  for  me, 
in  coming  from  Padan,  Rachel  died  upon  me  in  the  land  of 
Kenaan,  by  the  way  when  there  was  a  stretch  of  land  to  go  to 
Ephrath  :  and  I  buried  her  there  in  the  way  to  Ephrath,  which 
is  Bethlehem. 

8.  And  Israel  beheld  Joseph's  sons,  and  said,  Who  are 
these  ?  9.  And  Joseph  said  unto  his  father.  They  are  my 
sons,  whom  God  hath  given  me  here.  And  he  said.  Bring 
them  now  unto  me,  and  I  vrill  bless  them.  10.  And  the  eyes 
of  Israel  were  dim  from  age  ;  he  could  not  see  :  and  he 
brought  them  near  unto  him  ;  and  he  kissed  them,  and  em- 
braced them.  11.  And  Israel  said  unto  Joseph,  To  see  thy 
face  I  had  not  tlionglit :  and,  lo,  God  hath  showed  me  also 
thy  seed.     12.  And  Joseph  brought  them  out  from  between 


Gi"N.  XLVIII..  501 

liis  knees,  and  bowed  with  his  face  to  the  earth.  13.  And  Jo- 
seph took  the  two,  Ephraim  in  his  right  hand  towards  Israel's 
left,  and  Menasseh  in  his  left  toward  Israel's  right :  and 
brought  them  near  unto  him.  14.  And  Israel  stretched  out 
his  right  hand,  and  laid  it  on  Ephraim's  head,  who  was  the 
younger,  and  his  left  hand  upon  Menasseh's  head :  he  guided 
his  hands  wittingly,  for  Menasseh  was  the  first-born.  15. 
And  he  blessed  Joseph,  and  said.  The  God  before  whom 
walked  my  fathers,  Abraham  and  Isaac,  the  God  who  fed  me 
from  my  being  unto  this  day,  16.  The  Angel,  that  redeemed 
me  from  all  evil,  bless  the  lads ;  and  let  my  name  be  put  upon 
them,  and  the  name  of  my  fathers,  Abraham  and  Isaac:  and 
let  them  grow  into  a  multitude  in  the  midst  of  the  land. 

17.  And  Joseph  saw  that  his  father  laid  his  right  hand  upon 
Ephraim's  head,  and  it  displeased  him :  and  he  held  up  his 
father's  hand  to  remove  it  from  Ephraim's  head  to  Menasseh's 
head.  18.  And  Joseph  said  unto  his  father,  Not  so,  my  father; 
for  this  is  the  first-born  ;  put  thy  right  hand  upon  his  head. 
19.  And  his  father  refused,  and  said,  I  know,  my  son,  I  know  : 
he  also  shall  become  a  people,  and  he  also  shall  be  great:  but 
truly  his  younger  brother  shall  be  greater  than  he ;  and  his 
seed  shall  be  the  fulness  of  the  nations.  20.  And  he  blessed 
them  in  that  day,  saying.  In  thee  shall  Israel  bless,  saying, 
God  make  thee  as  Ej^hraim  and  as  Menasseh.  And  he  set 
Ephraim  before  Menasseh.  21.  And  Israel  said  unto  Joseph, 
Behold,  I  die  ;  and  God  will  be  with  you  and  restore  you  to 
the  land  of  your  fathers.  22,  And  I  have  given  thee  one  sliare 
above  thy  brethren,  which  I  took  out  of  the  hand  of  the  Amo- 
rite  with  my  sword  and  with  my  bow.  §  38. 


The  right  of  primogeniture  has  been  forfeited  by  Reuben.  The 
double  portion  in  the  inheritance  is  now  transferred  to  Joseph.  He  is 
the  first-born  of  her  who  was  intended  by  Jacob  to  be  his  first  and  only 
wife.     He  has  also  been  the  means  of  savins;  all  his  father's  house. 


502  JOSEPH  VISITS  HIS  SICK  FATHER. 

even  after  he  had  been  sold  into  slavery  by  Ixis  brethren.  He  has 
therefore  undeniable  claims  to  this  part  of  the  first-born's  rights. 

1-7.  After  these  things.  After  the  arrangements  concerning  the 
funeral,  recorded  in  the  chapter.  Ifenasseh  and  Ephraim.  They 
seem  to  have  accompanied  their  father  from  respectful  affection  to 
their  aged  relative.  Israel  strengthened  himself,  —  summoned  his 
remaining  powers  for  the  interview,  which  was  now  to  him  an  effort. 
God  Almighty  appeared  unto  ine  at  Luz.  From  the  terms  of  the 
blessing  received  it  is  evident  that  Jacob  here  refers  to  the  last  ap- 
pearance of  God  to  him  at  Bethel  (xsxv.  11).  And  now  thy  sons. 
After  referring  to  the  promise  of  a  numerous  offspring,  and  of  a  terri- 
tory which  they  are  to  inherit,  he  assigns  to  each  of  the  two  sons  of 
Joseph,  who  were  born  in  Egypt,  a  place  among  his  own  sons,  and  a 
separate  share  in  the  promised  land.  In  this  way  two  shares  fall  to 
Joseph.  And  thy  issue.  "We  are  not  informed  whether  Joseph  had 
any  other  sons.  But  all  such  are  to  be  reckoned  in  the  two  tribes  of 
which  Ephraim  and  Menasseh  are  the  heads.  These  young  men  are 
nov/  at  least  twenty  and  nineteen  years  of  age,  as  they  were  born  be- 
fore the  famine  commenced.  Any  subsequent  issue  that  Joseph  might 
have,  would  be  counted  among  the  generations  of  their  children. 
Rachel  died  xipon  me,  —  as  a  heavy  affliction  falling  upon  me.  The 
presence  of  Joseph  naturally  leads  the  father's  thoughts  to  Rachel,  the 
beloved  mother  of  his  beloved  son,  whose  memory  he  honors  in  giving 
a  double  portion  to  her  eldest  son. 

8-16.  He  now  observes  and  proceeds  to  bless  the  two  sous  of  Jo- 
seph. Who  are  these  ?  The  sight  and  the  observant  faculties  of  the 
patriarch  were  now  failing.  Bring  them  noio  unto  me,  and  I  will  hless 
them.  Jacob  is  seated  on  the  couch,  and  the  young  men  approach 
him.  He  kisses  and  folds  his  arms  around  them.  The  comforts  of 
his  old  age  come  up  before  his  mind.  He  had  not  expected  to  see 
Joseph  again  in  the  flesh,  and  now  God  had  showed  him  his  seed. 
After  these  expressions  of  parental  fondness,  Joseph  drew  them  back 
from  between  his  knees,  that  he  might  present  them  in  the  way  that 
was  distinctive  of  their  age.  He  then  bowed  with  his  face  to  the 
earth,  in  reverential  acknowledgment  of  the  act  of  woi'ship  about  to 
be  performed.  Joseph  expected  the  blessing  to  be  regulated  by  the 
age  of  his  sons,  and  is  therefore  cax-eful  to  present  them  so  that  the 
right  hand  of  his  dim-sighted  parent  may,  without  any  effort,  i^est  on 
the  head  of  his  first-born.  But  the  venerable  patriarch,  guided  by  the 
Spirit  of  him  who  doth  according  to  his  own  will,  designedly  lays  his 


GEX.  XL VIII.  503 

right  hand  on  tlie  head  of  the  younger,  and  thereby  attributes  to 
him  the  greater  blessing. 

The  imposition  of  the  hand  is  a  primitive  custom  which  here  for  the 
first  time  comes  into  notice.  It  is  the  natural  mode  of  marking  out 
the  object  of  the  benediction,  signifying  its  conveyance  to  the  individ- 
ual, and  implying  that  it  is  laid  upon  him  as  the  destiny  of  his  life. 
It  may  be  done  by  either  hand  ;  but  when  each  is  laid  on  a  different 
object,  as  iu  the  present  case,  it  may  denote  that  the  higher  blessing  is 
conveyed  by  the  right  hand.  The  laying  on  of  both  hands  on  one 
person  may  express  .the  fulness  of  the  blessing  conveyed,  or  the  ful- 
ness of  the  desire  with  which  it  is  conveyed. 

lo-lG.  And  he  blessed  Joseph.  In  blessing  his  seed  he  blesses  him- 
self In  exalting  his  two  sons  into  the  rank  and  right  of  his  brothers, 
he  bestows  upon  them  the  double  portion  of  the  first-born.  In  the 
terms  of  the  blessing  Jacob  first  signalizes  the  threefold  function  which 
the  Lord  discharges  in  effecting  the  salvation  of  a  sinner.  The  God 
before  whom  icalked  mi/ fathers,  is  the  Author  of  salvation,  the  Judge 
who  dispenses  justice  and  mercy,  the  Father,  before  whom  the  adopted 
and  regenerate  child  walks.  From  him  salvation  comes,  to  him  the 
saved  returns,  to  walk  before  hira  and  be  perfect.  The  God,  who  fed 
me  from  my  being  unto  this  day,  is  the  Creator  and  Upholder  of  life, 
the  Quickener  and  Sanctifier,  the  potential  Agent,  who  works  both  to 
will  and  to  do  in  the  soul.  The  Angel  that  redeemed  me  from  all  evil, 
is  the  all-sufficient  Friend,  who  wards  off  evil  by  himself  satisfying  the 
demands  of  justice  and  resisting  the  devices  of  malice.  There  is  a 
beautiful  propriety  of  feeling  in  Jacob  ascribing  to  his  fathers  the 
walking  before  God,  while  he  thankfully  acknowledges  the  grace  of 
the  Quickener  and  Justificr  to  himself  Tlie  Angel  is  explicitly  ap- 
plied to  the  Supreme  Being  in  tliis  ministerial  function.  The  God  is 
the  emphatic  description  of  the  true,  living  God,  as  contradistinguished 
from  all  false  gods.  Bless  the  lads.  The  word  bless  is  in  the  singular 
number.  For  Jacob's  threefold  periphrasis  is  intended  to  describe  the 
one  God  who  wills,  works,  and  wards.  And  let  my  name  be  put  upon 
them.  Let  them  be  counted  among  my  immediate  sons,  and  let  them 
be  related  to  Abraham  and  Isaac,  as  my  other  sons  are.  This  is  the 
only  thing  that  is  special  in  the  blessing.  Let  them  grow  into  a  multi- 
tude. The  word  grow  in  the  original  refers  to  the  spawning  or  ex- 
traordinary increase  of  the  finny  tribe.  The  after  histoiy  of  Ephraim 
and  Menasseh  will  be  found  to  correspond  with  this  special  prediction. 

17-22.  Joseph  presumes  that  his  father  has  gone  astray  through 


504  JACOB  BLESSES  HIS  SONS. 

dulaess  of  perception,  and  endeavors  to  rectify  his  mistake.  He  finds, 
however,  that  on  the  other  hand  a  supernatural  vision  is  now  conferred 
on  his  parent,  who  is  fully  conscious  of  what  he  is  about,  and  therefore 
abides  by  his  own  act.  Ephraim  is  to  be  greater  than  Menasseh. 
Joshua,  the  successor  of  Moses,  was  of  the  tribe  of  Ephraim,  as  Kaleb 
his  companion  was  of  Judah.  Ephraim  came  to  designate  the  north- 
ern kingdom  of  the  ten  tribes,  as  Judah  denoted  the  southern  kingdom 
containing  the  remaining  tribes  ;  and  each  name  was  occasionally  used 
to  denote  all  Israel,  with  a  special  reference  to  the  prominent  part. 
His  seed  shall  he  the  fulness  of  the  nations.  This  denotes  not  only  the 
number  but  the  completeness  of  his  race,  and  accords  with  the  future 
preeminence  of  his  tribe.  20.  In  thee,  in  Joseph,  who  is  still  identified 
with  his  offspring.  21,  22.  At  the  point  of  death  Jacob  expresses  his 
assurance  of  the  return  of  his  posterity  to  the  land  of  promise,  and 
bestows  on  Joseph  one  share  or  piece  of  ground  above  his  brethren, 
which,  says  he,  I  took  out  of  the  hand  of  the  Amorile  with  my  sword 
and  with  my  hoio.  This  share  is,  in  the  original,  DSa  Shekem,  a 
shoulder  or  tract  of  land.  This  region  included  the  parcel  of  the  field 
where  he  had  spread  his  tent  (xxxiii.  19).  It  refers  to  the  whole  ter- 
ritory of  Shekem,  which  was  conquered  by  his  sword  and  his  bow,  in- 
asmuch as  the  city  itself  was  sacked,  and  its  inhabitants  put  to  the 
sword  by  his  sons  at  the  head  of  his  armed  retainers,  though  without 
his  approval  (xxxiv.).  Though  he  withdrew  immediately  after  to 
Bethel  (xxxv.),  yet  he  neither  fled  nor  relinquished  possession  of  this 
conquest,  as  we  find  his  sons  feeding  his  flocks  there  when  he  himself 
was  residing  at  Hebron  (xxxvii.  13).  The  incidental  conquest  of  such 
a  tract  was  no  more  at  variance  with  the  subsequent  acquisition  of  the 
whole  country  than  the  purchase  of  a  field  by  Abraham  or  a  parcel  of 
ground  by  Jacob  himself.  In  accordance  with  this  gift  Joseph's  bones 
were  deposited  in  Shekem,  after  the  conquest  of  the  whole  land  by 
returning  Israel.  The  territory  of  Shekem  was  probably  not  equal  in 
extent  to  that  of  Ephraim,  but  was  included  within  its  bounds. 


LXXVII.    JACOB  BLESSES  HIS  SONS.  —  Gen.  xlix. 

5.  iTisa  weapon  ;  r.  "i"^3  or  iris  dig.     Device,  design  ?   r.  'nsa  sell, 
in  Arab,  take  counsel.     Habitation. 

10.  p;?h73  lawgiver,  judge,  dispenser  of  laws.     This  word  occurs  in 


GEN.  XLIX.  505 

six  other  places, — Num.  xxi.  18;  Dent,  xxxiii.  21  ;  Jud.  v.  14;  Ps. 
Ix.  9  ;  cviii.  9  ;  Isa.  xxxiii.  22  ;  in  five  of  wliich  it  clearly  denotes 
ruler,  or  judge.  The  meaning  sceptre  is  therefore  doubtful,  ripiia 
Shiloh,  a  softened  form  of  li'^i'j,  a  derivative  of  b'd,  the  ultimate  root  of 
n>a,  nhiii,  and  possibly  CjVj,  and  hence  denoting  the  peacemaker,  the 
prince  of  peace.  It  is  not  employed  as  an  appellative  noun.  But  it 
is  ifsed  afterwai-ds  as  the  name  of  a  town,  now  identified  as  Seilun. 
This  town  probably  had  its  name,  like  many  other  ancient  places,  from 
a  person  of  the  same  name  who  built  or  possessed  it. 

XLIX.  1.  And  Jacob  called  his  sons:  and  he  said,  Gather 
yourselves  together,  and  I  will  tell  you  that  which  shall  befall 
you  in  the  after  days.  2.  Assemble  yourselves,  and  hear,  ye 
sons  of  Jacob  ;  and  liearken  to  Israel  your  father. 

3.  Reuben,  my  first-born  art  thou,  my  might  and  the  be- 
ginning of  my  strength  :  the  excellency  of  dignity,  the  excel- 
lency of  power.  4.  Boiling  over  as  water,  thou  shalt  not 
excel,  because  thou  wentest  up  to  thy  father's  bed :  then  didst 
thou  defile  it,  to  my  couch  he  went  up.  IT  39. 

5.  Simon  and  Levi  are  brethren :  instruments  of  violence 
are  their  weapons.  6.  Into  their  counsel  let  not  my  soul  en- 
ter, in  their  congregation  let  not  mine  honor  join  ;  for  in  their 
anger  they  slew  a  man,  and  in  their  self-will  they  houghed  an 
ox.  7.  Cursed  be  their  anger,  for  it  was  fierce  :  and  their 
wrath,  for  it  was  cruel :  I  will  divide  them  in  Jacob,  and  scat- 
ter them  in  Israel.  IF  40. 

8.  Judah,  thee  shall  thy  brethren  praise ;  thy  hand  shall  be 
on  the  neck  of  thine  enemies :  thy  father's  sons  shall  bow 
down  to  thee.  9.  A  lion's  whelp  is  Judah ;  from  the  prey, 
my  son,  art  thou  gone  up  :  he  stooped  down,  he  couched  as  a 
lion  and  as  a  lioness :  who  shall  rouse  him  up  ?  10.  The 
sceptre  shall  not  depart  from  Judah,  nor  the  lawgiver  from 
between  his  feet ;  until  Shiloh  come,  and  unto  him  be  the 
obedience  of  the  peoples.  11.  Binding  unto  the  vine  his  ass, 
and  to  the  choice  vine  his  ass's  colt,  he  hath  washed  in  the 
wine  his  garments,  and  in  the  blood  of  grapes  liis  mantle. 
64 


506  JACOB  BLESSES  HIS  SONS. 

12.  Red  arc  his  eyes  from  wine,  and  white  his   teeth  from 
milk.  ^  41. 

13.  Zebulun  shall  dwell  at  the  haven  of  seas  ;  and  he  shall 
be  at  the  haven  of  ships,  and  his  flank  toward  Zidon.     IF  42. 

14.  Issakar  is  an  ass  of  bone,  couching  between  the  hurdles. 
15.  And  he  saw  rest,  that  it  was  good,  and  the  land,  that  it 
was  pleasant :  and  he  bowed  his  shoulder  to  bear,  and  became 
subject  to  tribute.  §  44. 

16.  Dan  shall  judge  his  people,  as  one  of  the  tribes  of  Israel. 

17.  Dan  shall  be  a  serpent  on  the  way,  an  adder  on  the  path  : 
that  biteth  the  horse's  heels,  and  its  rider  falleth  backward. 

18.  For  thy  salvation  have  I  waited,  0  Lord.  §  45. 

19.  Gad,  a  troop  shall  press  on  him  :  and  he  shall  press  ou 
the  heel.  §  46. 

20.  Of  Asher,  fat  shall  be  his  bread  ;  and  he  shall  yield 
royal  dainties.  §  47. 

21.  Naphtali  is  a  hind  let  loose  ;  he  giveth  goodly  words. 

§  48. 

22.  Son  of  a  fruitful  tree  is  Joseph,  son  of  a  fruitful  tree  by 
a  well,  whose  daughters  run  over  a  wall.  23.  And  masters 
of  arrows  grieved  him,  and  shot  at  him,  and  hated  him.  24. 
And  his  bow  abode  in  strength,  and  the  arms  of  his  hands 
were  firm  ;  from  the  hands  of  the  Might  of  Jacob,  from  him, 
the  Shepherd,  the  Stone  of  Israel,  25.  From  the  God  of  thy 
father  who  shall  help  thee,  and  the  Almighty  who  shall  bless 
thee,  are  blessings  of  heaven  above,  blessings  of  the  deep  that 
lieth  beneath,  blessings  of  the  breasts  and  of  the  womb.  2i3. 
The  blessings  of  thy  father  have  prevailed  over  the  blessings 
of  my  progenitors  unto  the  bound  of  the  perpetual  hills  :  they 
shall  be  on  the  head  of  Joseph,  and  on  the  brow  of  him  who 
was  distinguished  from  his  brethren.  II  43. 

27.  Benjamin  shall  ravin  as  a  wolf;  in  the  morning  he 
shall  devour  the  prey,  and  in  the  evening  he  shall  divide  the 
spoil. 

28.  All  these  are  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel :  and  this  is 


GEN.  XLIX.  Oi'T 

that  which  their  father  spake  vmto  them,  and  blessed  ...  m  ; 
each  according  to  his  blessing  blessed  he  them.  29.  And  he 
commanded  them,  and  said  unto  them,  I  am  to  be  gathered 
unto  my  people :  bury  me  with  my  fathers,  in  the  cave  that  is 
in  the  field  of  Ephron  the  Hittite  ;  30.  In  the  cave  that  is  in 
the  field  of  Makpelah,  which  is  before  Mamre,  in  the  land  of 
Kcnaan,  which  Abraham  bought  with  the  field  from  Ephron 
the  Hittite  for  a  possession  of  a  burying-place.  31.  There 
they  buried  Abraham,  and  Sarah  his  wife ;  there  they  buried 
Isaac,  and  Rebekah  his  wife  ;  and  there  I  buried  Leah.  32. 
The  purchase  of  the  field  and  of  the  cave  that  is  therein  was 
from  the  sons  of  Heth.  33.  And  Jacob  made  an  end  of  com- 
manding his  sous,  and  gathered  up  his  feet  into  the  bed,  and 
expired,  and  was  gathered  unto  his  peoples. 


From  the  special  conference  with  Joseph  we  now  pass  to  the  parting 
address  of  Jacob  to  his  assembled  sons.  This  is  at  the  same  time 
prophetic  and  benedictory.  Like  all  prophecy,  it  starts  from  present 
things,  and  in  its  widest  expanse  penetrates  into  the  remotest  future 
of  the  present  course  of  nature. 

1,  2.  Aiid  Jacob  called  his  sons.  This  is  done  by  messengers  going 
to  their  various  dwellings  and  pasture-grounds,  and  summoning  them 
to  his  presence.  And  he  said.  These  Avords  introduce  his  dying  ad- 
dress. Gather  i/ourselves  together.  Though  there  is  to  be  a  special 
address  to  each,  yet  it  is  to  be  in  the  audience  of  all  the  rest,  for  the 
instruction  of  the  whole  family.  That  which  shall  be/all  you  in  the 
after  days.  The  after  days  are  the  times  intervening  between  the 
speaker  and  the  end  of  the  human  race.  The  beginning  of  man  was 
at  the  sixth  day  of  the  last  creation.  The  end  of  his  race  will  be  at 
the  dissolution  of  the  heavens  and  the  earth  then  called  into  being,  and 
the  new  creation  which  we  are  taught  will  be  consequent  thereupon. 
To  this  interval  prophecy  has  reference  in  general,  though  it  occasion- 
ally penetrates  beyond  the  veil  that  separates  the  present  from  the 
future  creation.  The  prophet  has  his  mind  filled  with  the  objects  and 
events  of  the  present  and  the  past,  and  from  these  he  must  draw  his 
images  for  the  future,  and  express  them  in  the  current  language  of  his 
day.     To  interpret  his  words,  therefore,  we  must  ascend  to  his  day. 


508  JACOB  BLESSES  HIS  SONS. 

examine  liis  usage  of  speech,  distinguish  the  transient  forms  in  which 
truth  may  appear,  and  hold  fast  by  the  constant  essence  which  belongs 
to  all  ages.  Hear,  ye  sons  of  Jacob ;  and  liearhen  to  Israel  your 
father.  This  is  a  specimen  of  the  synthetic  or  synonymous  parallel. 
It  affords  a  good  example  of  the  equivalence,  and  at  the  same  time 
the  distinction,  of  Jacob  an^l  Israel.  They  both  apply  to  the  same 
person,  and  to  the  race  of  which  he  is  the  head.  The  one  refers  to 
the  natural,  the  other  to  the  spiritual.  The  distinction  is  similar  to 
that  between  Elohim  and  Jehovah :  the  former  of  which  designates 
the  eternal  God,  antecedent  to  all  creation,  and  therefore  equally 
related  to  the  whole  universe  ;  the  latter,  the  self-existent  God,  subse- 
quent to  the  creation  of  intelligent  beings,  and  specially  i-elated  to 
them,  as  the  moral  Governor,  the  Keeper  of  covenant,  and  the  Per- 
foi'mer  of  promise. 

3,  4.  Reuben,  as  the  first-born  by  nature,  has  the  first  place  in  the 
benedictory  address.  My  migJd.  In  times  and  places  in  which  a  man's 
right  depends  on  his  might,  a  large  fomily  of  sons  is  the  source  of 
strength  and  safety.  The  excellency  of  dignity,  and  the  excellency  of 
power,  —  the  rank  and  authority  which  belong  to  the  first-born.  Boiling 
over  as  water.  That  which  boils  over  perishes  at  the  same  time  that 
it  is  pernicious.  This  is  here  transferred  in  a  figure  to  the  passionate 
nature  of  Reuben.  Thou  shalt  not  excel.  There  is  here  an  allusion 
to  the  excellency  of  dignity  and  power.  Ey  the  boiling  over  of  his 
unhallowed  passions  Reuben  lost  all  the  excellence  that  primogeniture 
confers.  By  the  dispensation  of  Providence  the  double  portion  went 
to  Joseph,  the  first-born  of  Rachel ;  the  chieftainship  to  Judali ;  and 
the  priesthood  to  Levi.  The  cause  of  this  forfeiture  is  then  assigned. 
In  the  last  sentence  the  patriarch  in  a  spirit  of  indignant  sorrow  passes 
from  the  direct  address  to 'the  indirect  narrative.  To  my  couch  he  loent 
up.  The  doom  here  pronounced  upon  Reuben  is  still  a  blessing,  as 
he  is  not  excluded  from  a  tribe's  share  in  the  promised  land.  But,  as 
in  the  case  of  the  others,  this  blessing  is  abated  and  modified  by  his 
past  conduct.  His  tribe  has  its  seat  on  the  east  of  the  Jordan,  and 
never  comes  to  any  eminence  in  the  commonwealth  of  Israel, 

5-7.  Simon  and  Levi  are  brethren,  by  temper  as  well  as  by  birth. 
Their  weapons.  This  word  is  rendered  plans,  devices,  by  some.  But 
the  present  rendering  agrees  best  with  the  context.  Weapons  may  be 
properly  called  instruments  of  violence ;  but  not  so  plots.  "  Habita- 
tions "  requires  the  preposition  in  before  it,  which  is  not  in  the  original, 
and  is  not  to  be  supplied  without  necessity.     Into  their  counsel.     This 


GEN.  XLIX.  509 

refers  to  the  plot  they  formed  for  the  destruction  of  the  inhabitants  of 
Shekem.  T}i(;y  houghed  an  ox.  The  singular  of  the  original  is  to  be 
understood  as  a  plural  denoting  the  kind  of  acts  to  which  they  were 
prompted  in  their  passion  for  revenge.  Jacob  pronounces  a  curse  upon 
their  anger,  not  because  indignation  against  sin  is  unwarrantable  in 
itself,  but  because  their  wrath  was  marked  by  deeds  of  fierceness  and 
cruelty.  /  will  divide  them  in  Jacob,  and  scatter  them  in  Israel.  He 
does  not  cut  them  off  from  any  part  in  the  promised  inheritance  ;  but 
he  divides  and  scatters  them.  Accordingly  they  are  divided  from  one 
another  in  their  after  history,  the  tribe  of  Simon  being  settled  in  the 
southwest  corner  of  the  territory  of  Judah,  and  Levi  having  no  con- 
nected territory,  but  occupying  certain  cities  and  their  suburbs  which 
were  assigned  to  his  descendants  in  the  various  provinces  of  the  land. 
They  were  also  scattered  in  Israel,  For  Simon  is  the  weakest  of  all 
the  tribes  at  the  close  of  their  sojourn  in  the  wilderness  (Num.  xxvi. 
14)  ;  he  is  altogether  omitted  in  the  blessing  of  Moses  (Deut.  xxxiii.), 
and  hence  obtains  no  distinct  territory,  but  only  a  part  of  that  of  Judah 
(Jos.  xix.  1-9)  ;  and  he  subsequently  sends  out  two  colonies,  which 
are  separated  from  the  parent  stock,  and  from  one  another  ( 1  Chr.  iv. 
24-43).  And  Levi  received  forty-eight  towns  in  the  various  districts 
of  the  land,  in  which  his  descendants  dwelt,  far  separated  from  one 
another.  This  prediction  was  therefore  fulfilled  to  the  letter  in  the 
history  of  these  brothers.  Their  classification  under  one  head  is  a  hint 
that  they  will  yet  count  but  as  one  tribe. 

8-12.  Judah,  the  fourth  son  of  Jacob,  comes  in  for  the  supremacy 
after  the  three  former  have  been  set  aside.  Plis  personal  prowess,  the 
perpetuity  of  his  dominion,  and  the  luxuriance  of  his  soil  are  then 
described.  8.  Thee  shall  thy  brethren  praise.  This  is  an  allusion 
to  his  name,  which  signifies  praise  (xxix.  35).  As  his  mother  praised 
the  Lord  for  her  fourth  son,  so  shall  his  brethren  praise  him  for  his 
personal  excellence.  Ardor  of  temperament,  decision  of  chai'acter,  and 
frankness  of  acknowledgment  are  conspicuous  even  in  the  blemishes 
of  his  early  life.  Tenderness  of  conscience,  promptitude  in  resolve, 
capacity  for  business,  and  force  of  eloquence  come  out  in  his  riper 
years.  These  are  qualities  that  win  popular  esteem.  Thy  hand  shall 
he  in  the  necTc  of  thine  enemies.  They  shall  flee  before  him,  but  shall 
not  escape  his  powerful  grasp.  They  shall  be  compelled  to  yield  to 
his  overwhelming  power.  Thy  father's  sons  shall  bow  down  to  thee. 
Not  only  his  enemies,  but  his  friends,  shall  acknowledge  his  sway. 
The  similar  prediction  concerning  Joseph  (xxxvii.  6-8)  was  of  a  per- 


510  JACOB  BLESSES  HIS  SONS. 

sonal  nature,  and  referred  to  a  special  occasion,  not  to  a  permanent 
state  of  aifairs.  It  had  already  received  its  main  fulfilment,  and  would 
altogether  terminate  with  the  lifetime  of  Joseph.  The  present  announce- 
ment refers  to  Judah  not  as  an  individual,  but  as  the  head  of  a  tribe  in 
Israel,  and  will  therefore  correspond  in  duration  with  that  common- 
wealth. 

9.  A  lion's  whelp  is  Judah.  In  physical  strength  Judah  is  com- 
pared to  the  lion,  the  king  of  beasts.  At  first  he  is  the  lion's  whelp, 
the  young  lion,  giving  promise  of  future  vigor ;  then  the  full-grown 
lion,  exulting  in  his  irresistible  force,  seizing  and  overmastering  the 
prey,  and  after  reaping  the  fruits  of  his  victory,  ascending  to  his  moun- 
tain lair  and  reposing  in  undisturbed  security.  The  lioness  is  brought 
into  the  comparison  with  propriety,  as  in  defence  of  her  cubs  she  is 
even  more  dangerous  than  the  male  to  the  unwary  assailant.  After 
being  satiated  with  prey,  the  lion,  reposing  in  his  majesty,  will  n&t 
disturb  the  passer-by  ;  but  who  shall  rouse  him  up  and  escape  ? 

10.  From  his  physical  force  we  now  pass  to  his  moral  supremacy. 
The  sceptre,  the  staff  of  authority.  Shall  not  depart  from  Judah.  The 
tribe  sceptre  did  not  leave  Judah  so  long  as  there  was  a  remnant  of 
the  commonwealth  of  Israel.  Long  after  the  other  tribes  had  lost  their 
individuality,  Judah  lingered  in  existence  and  in  some  measure  of 
independence  ;  and  from  the  return  his  name  supplanted  that  of  Israel 
or  Jacob,  as  the  common  designation  of  the  people.  Hor  the  lawgiver 
from  between  his  feet.  This  is  otherwise  rendered,  "  nor  the  judicial 
staff  from  between  his  feet ; "  and  it  is  argued  that  this  rendering  cor- 
responds best  with  the  phrase  "  between  his  feet  "  and  with  the  parallel 
clause  which  precedes.  It  is  not  worth  while  contending  for  one  against 
the  other,  as  the  meaning  of  both  is  precisely  the  same.  But  we  have 
retained  the  English  -version,  as  the  term  Pl^hp  has  only  one  clear 
meaning ;  "  between  the  feet "  may  mean  among  his  descendants  or  in 
his  tribe ;  and  the  synthetic  parallelism  of  the  clauses  is  satisfied  by 
the  identity  of  meaning.  Lawgiver  is  to  be  understood  as  judge,  dis- 
penser or  administrator  of  law.  Judah  had  the  forerank  among  the 
tribes  in  the  wilderness,  and  never  altogether  lost  it,  Nahshon  the 
son  of  Amminadab,  the  prince  of  his  tribe,  was  the  ancestor  of  David, 
who  was  anointed  as  the  rightful  sovereign  of  all  Israel,  and  in  whom 
the  throne  became  hereditary.  The  revolt  of  the  ten  tribes  curtailed, 
but  did  not  abolish  the  actual  sovereignty  of  Rehoboam  and  his  suc- 
cessors, who  continued  the  acknowledged  sovereigns  till  some  time  after 
the  return  from  the  captivity.     From  that  date  the  whole  nation  was 


GEN.  XLIX.  511 

virtually  ab.-orbed  in  Judah,  and  vrhatever  trace  of  self-government 
remained  belonged  to  him  until  the  birth  of  Jesus,  who  was  the  lineal 
descendant  of  the  royal  line  of  David  and  of  Judah,  and  was  the  Mes- 
siah, the  anointed  of  heaven  to  be  king  of  Zion  and  of  Israel  in  a  far 
higher  sense  than  before.  Until  Shiloh  come.  This  is  otherwise 
translated,  "until  he  come  to  Shiloh,"  the  place  so  called.  This  is 
explained  of  the  time  when  "  the  whole  assembly  of  the  children  of 
Icrael  was  convened  at  Shiloh,  and  set  up  the  tent  of  meeting  there  " 
(Jos.  xviii.  1).  We  hold  by  the  former  translation  —  1.  Because  Shiloh 
has  not  yet  been  named  as  a  known  locality  in  the  land  of  promise. 
2.  Judah  did  not  come  to  Shiloh  in  any  exclusive  sense.  3.  His  coming 
thither  with  his  fellows  had  no  bearing  whatever  on  his  supremacy. 
4.  He  did  not  come  to  Shiloh  as  the  seat  of  his  government  or  any  part 
of  his  territory ;  and  5.  The  real  sovereignty  of  Judah  took  place  after 
this  convention  at  Shiloh,  and  not  before  it.  After  the  rejection  of  the 
second  translation  on  these  grounds,  the  former  is  accepted  as  the  only 
tenable  alternative.  6.  Besides,  it  is  the  natural  rendering  of  the 
words.  7.  Before  the  coming  of  Shiloh,  the  Prince  of  Peace,  the  high- 
est pitch  of  Judah's  supremacy  in  its  primary  form  has  to  be  attained. 
8.  On  the  coming  of  Shiloh  the  last  remnant  of  that  supremacy  was 
I'cmoved,  only  to  be  replaced  by  the  higher  form  of  preeminence  which 
the  Prince  of  Peace  inaugurates.  And  unto  him  be  the  obedience  of  the 
peoples.  "■  Unto  him  "  means  naturally  unto  Shiloh.  "  The  obedience  " 
describes  the  willing  submission  to  the  new  form  of  sovereignty  which 
is  ushered  in  by  Shiloh.  The  word  is  otherwise  rendered  "  gathering ;  " 
but  this  does  not  suit  the  usage  in  Prov.  xxx,  17.  "The  obedience" 
intimates  that  the  supremacy  of  Judah  does  not  cease  at  the  coming 
of  Shiloh,  but  only  assumes  a  gi'ander  form.  Of  the  peoples.  Not 
only  the  sons  of  Israel,  but  all  the  descendants  of  Adam  will  ultimately 
bow  down  to  the  Prince  of  Peace.  This  is  the  seed  of  the  woman, 
who  shall  bruise  the  serpent's  head,  the  seed  of  Abraham,  in  whom  all 
the  families  of  the  earth  shall  be  blessed,  presented  now  under  the  new 
aspect  of  the  peacemaker,  whom  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  shall 
eventually  obey  as  the  Prince  of  Peace.  He  is  therefore  now  re- 
vealed as  the  Destroyer  of  the  works  of  evil,  the  Dispenser  of  the  bless- 
ings of  grace,  and  the  King  of  peace.  The  coming  of  Shiloh  and  the 
obedience  of  the  nations  to  him  will  cover  a  long  period  of  time,  the 
close  of  which  will  coincide  with  tli£  limit  here  set  to  Judah's  earthly 
supremacy  in  its  wider  and  loftier  stage.  This  prediction  therefore 
truly  penetrates  to  the  latter  days. 


512  JACOB  BLESSES  HIS  SONS. 

11,  12.  The  exuberant  fertility  of  Judali's  province  is  now  depicted. 
We  now  behold  him  peacefully  settled  in  the  land  of  promise,  and  the 
striking  objects  of  rural  plenty  and  prosperity  around  him.  The  quiet 
ass  on  which  he  perambulates  is  tied  to  the  vine,  the  juice  of  whose 
grapes  is  as  copious  as  the  water  in  which  his  robes  are  washed.  The 
last  sentence  is  capable  of  being  rendered,  "  Red  are  his  eyes  above 
wine,  and  white  his  teeth  above  milk."  But  a  connection  as  well  as  a 
comparison  seems  to  be  implied  in  the  original.  Judea  is  justly  de- 
scribed as  abounding  in  the  best  of  wine  and  milk.  This  fine  picture 
of  Judah's  earthly  abode  is  a  fitting  emblem  of  the  better  country  where 
Shiloh  reigns. 

13.  Zebulun  means  dwelling,  to  which  there  is  an  allusion  in  the 
first  clause  of  the  verse.  At  the  haven  of  seas.  This  tribe  touched 
upon  the  coast  of  the  sea  of  Kinnereth  and  of  the  Mediterranean.  It 
probably  possessed  some  havens  for  shipping  near  the  promontory  of 
Karmel:  and  its  northwestern  boundary  touched  upon  Phoenicia,  the 
territory  of  Zidon.  He  is  placed  before  Issakar,  who  was  older,  because 
the  latter  sank  into  a  subordinate  position. 

14,  15.  An  ass  of  bone,  and  therefore  of  strength.  Couching  be- 
tween the  hurdles,  —  the  pens  or  stalls  in  which,  the  cattle  were  lodged. 
Rest  in  a  pleasant  land  he  felt  to  be  good ;  and  hence,  rather  than 
undertake  the  struggle  for  liberty  and  independence,  he  became  like 
the  strong  ass  a  bearer  of  burdens,  and  a  payer  of  tribute.  He  is  thus 
a  hireling  by  disposition  as  well  as  by  name  (xxx.  18). 

lG-18.  The  sons  of  the  handmaids  follow  those  of  Leah.  Dan  shall 
judge  his  people  as  one  of  the  tribes  of  Israel.  He  will  maintain  his 
position  as  a  tribe  in  the  state.  When  threatened  by  overwhelming 
power  he  will  put  forth  his  native  force  for  the  discomfiture  of  the  foe. 
The  adder  is  the  cerastes  or  horned  serpent,  of  the  color  of  the  sand, 
and  therefore  not  easily  recognized,  that  inflicts  a  fatal  wound  on  him 
that  unwarily  treads  on  it.  The  few  facts  in  the  history  of  Dan  after- 
wards given  correspond  well  with  the  character  here  drawn.  Some 
of  its  features  are  conspicuous  in  Samson  (Judg.  xiii.-xvi.).  For  thy 
salvation  have  I  waited,  0  Lord.  The  patriarch,  contemplating  the 
power  of  the  adversaries  of  his  future  people,  breaks  forth  into  the 
expression  of  his  longing  desire  and  hope  of  that  salvation  of  the 
Almighty  by  which  alone  they  can  be  delivered.  That  salvation  is 
commensurate  with  the  utmost  extent  and  diversity  of  these  adver- 
saries. 

10.  Gad  also  shall  be  subject  to  the  assaults  of  the  enemy.     But  he 


GEN.  XLIX.  513 

shall  resist  the  foe  and  harass  his  rear.  This  brief  character  agrees 
with  his  after  history.  He  is  reckoned  among  the  valiant  men  in 
Scripture  (1  Chr.  v.  18). 

20.  Asher  shall  have  a  soil  abounding  in  wheat  and  oil.  He  occu- 
pies the  low  lands  along  the  coast  north  of  Karmel.  Hence  the  pro- 
ducts of  his  country  are  fit  to  furnish  the  table  of  kings.  Gad  and 
Asher  are  placed  before  Naphtali,  the  second  son  of  Bilhah.  We 
cannot  tell  whether  they  were  older,  or  for  what  other  reason  they 
occupy  this  place.  It  may  be  that  Naphtali  was  of  a  less  decisive  or 
self-reliant  character. 

21.  Naphtali  is  a  hind  let  loose.  The  hind  or  gazelle  is  agile  and 
nimble.  When  free  on  its  native  hills,  it  roams  with  instinctive  con- 
fidence and  delight.  It  is  timid  and  irresolute  in  confinement.  This 
is  probably  the  character  of  Naphtali.  He  giveth  goodly  words.  Here 
we  pass  from  the  figure  to  the  reality.  Eloquence  in  prose  and  verse 
was  chai'acteristic  of  this  particular  tribe.  The  only  important  his- 
torical event  in  which  they  are  concerned  is  the  defeat  of  Jabin's  host, 
which  is  celebrated  in  the  song  of  Deborah  and  Barak  (Judg.  iv.  5). 
In  this  passage  we  may  study  the  character  of  the  tribe. 

22-26.  Jacob  had  doubtless  been  made  acquainted  with  the  history 
of  his  beloved  son  Joseph  from  the  time  of  his  disappearance  until  he 
met  him  on  the  borders  of  Egypt.  It  had  been  the  meditation  and  the 
wonder  of  his  last  seventeen  years.  When  he  comes  to  Joseph,  there- 
fore, the  mingled  emotions  of  affection  and  gratitude  burst  forth  from 
his  heart  in  language  that  cannot  be  restrained  by  the  ordinary  rules 
of  speech.  The  first  thing  connected  with  Joseph  in  the  patriarch's 
mind  is  fruitfulness.  The  image  is  vivid  and  striking.  Son  of  a 
fruitful  tree.  A  branch  or  ra*«ier  a  shoot  transplanted  from  the  parent 
stem.  By  a  well ;  from  which  it  may  draw  the  water  of  life.  Whose 
daughters,  —  luxuriant  branches.  Run  over  a  wall,  —  transcend  all  the 
usual  boundaries  of  a  well-enclosed  garden.  This  fruitfulness  attaches 
to  Joseph  in  two  respects.  First,  he  is  the  prudent  gatherer  and  the 
inexhaustible  dispenser  of  the  produce  of  Egypt,  by  which  the  lives  of 
his  father  and  brethren  were  preserved.  And  then  he  is  in  prospect 
the  twofold  tribe,  that  bursts  the  bounds  assigned  to  a  twelfth  of  the 
chosen  people,  and  overspreads  the  area  of  two  tribes. 

23,  24.  The  memory  then  reverts  to  the  past  history  of  Joseph.     A 

new  figure  is  now  called  up.     A  champion  is  assailed  by  a  host  of 

archers.    They  vex  him,  shoot  at  him,  and  in  every  way  act  the  part 

of  an  enemy.     But  his  bow  continues  elastic,  and  his  arms  are  enabled 

65 


514  JACOB  BLESSES  HIS  SONS. 

to  bend  it,  because  he  receives  strength  from  the  God  of  his  fathers, 
"  the  Might  of  Jacob,  the  Shepherd,  tlie  Stone  of  Israel."  Such  is  the 
rich  and  copious  imagery  that  flows  from  the  lips  of  Jacob.  "  The 
Might,"  the  exalted  upholder  ;  "  the  Shepherd,  the  Stone,"  the  foster- 
ing guardian  as  well  as  the  solid  foundation  of  his  being.  His  great 
hands  upheld  Joseph  against  the  brother  and  the  stranger.  From  him. 
This  seems  the  free  rendering  of  the  word  requisite  to  bring  the  two 
members  of  the  parallel  into  harmony. 

25,  26.  These  two  thoughts  —  the  peaceful  abundance  of  his  old 
age,  which  he  owed  to  Joseph,  and  the  persecutions  his  beloved  son  had 
eniJured — stir  the  fountains  of  his  affections  until  they  overflow  with 
blessings.  From  the  God  of  thy  father, —  the  Eternal  One  who  is  the 
source  of  all  blessing.  And  the  Almighty,  who  is  able  to  control  all 
adverse  influences.  Blessings  of  heaven  above,  —  the  air,  the  rain,  and 
the  sun.  Blessings  of  the  deep,  —  the  springs  and  streams,  as  well  as  the 
fertile  soil.  Blessings  of  the  breasts  and  the  womb,  —  the  children  of 
the  home  and  the  young  of  the  flocks  and  herds.  Have  prevailed.  The 
benedictions  of  Jacob  pronounced  upon  Joseph  exceed  those  that  came 
upon  Jacob  himself  from  his  fathers.  To  Joseph  is  given  a  double 
portion,  with  a  double  measure  of  affection  from  a  father's  heart.  Unto 
the  bound  of  the  perpetual  hills.  Like  an  overflowing  flood  they  have 
risen  to  the  very  summits  of  the  perpetual  hills  in  the  conceptions  of 
the  venerable  patriarch.  Of  him  who  was  distinguished  from  his 
brethren  ;  not  only  by  a  long  period  of  persecution  and  humiliation,  but 
by  a  subsequent  elevation  to  extraordinary  dignity  and  preeminence. 

It  is  to  be  noted  that  this  benediction,  when  fairly  interpreted,  though 
it  breathes  all  the  fondness  of  a  father's  heart,  yet  contains  no  intima- 
tion that  the  supremacy  or  the  priesthood  were  to  belong  to  Joseph, 
or  that  the  Messiah  was  to  spring  from  him.  At  the  same  time  Joseph 
"was  in  many  events  of  his  history  a  remarkable  type  of  the  Messiah, 
and  by  intermarriage  he,  as  well  as  many  foreigners,  was  no  doubt 
among  the  ancestors  of  the  Messiah  (2  Kings  viii.  18,  26). 

27.  Benjamin  is  described  as  a  wolf  who  is  engaged  morning  and 
evening,  that  is,  all  day  long,  in  hunting  after  prey.  He  was  warlike 
"by  character  and  conduct  ( Judg.  xx.,  xxi.),  and  among  his  descendants 
are  Ehud,  Saul,  and  Jonathan. 

28-33.  After  the  benediction  Jacob  gives  directions  concerning  his 
burial.  All  these  are  the  twelve  tribes.  This  implies  that  the  benedic- 
tions refer  not  to  the  heads  only,  but  to  the  whole  tribes.  Each  ac- 
cording to  his  blessing.     All  are  blessed,  but  the  form  of  the  blessing 


GEN.  L.  515 

is  suited  to  the  character  of  the  indivicluah  29-32.  Bury  me  with  my 
fathers,  —  with  Abraham  and  Sarah,  Isaac  and  Rebekah,  and  Leah. 
This  dying  command  he  now  lays  on  the  twelve,  as  he  had  before 
bound  Joseph  by  oath  to  its  performance.  33.  Gathered  up  his  feet 
into  the  bed.  He  had  been  sitting  upright  while  pronouncing  the  ben- 
edictory address  and  giving  his  last  directions.  He  now  lies  down  and 
calmly  breathes  his  last. 


LXXVm.    THE  BURIAL  OF  JACOB. -Gen.  1. 

10.  i;jx  Atad,  the  luck-thorn. 

11.  D'^'nrj'a  ^55<  Ahel-Witsra.iin,77iourninffof  Mizraim,  or  meadow  of  3£ 

L.  1.  And  Joseph  foil  upon  his  father's  face,  and  wept 
upon  him,  and  kissed  him.  2.  And  Joseph  commanded  his 
servants,  the  physicians,  to  embahu  his  father :  and  the  phy- 
sicians embahued  Israel.  3.  And  they  fulfilled  for  him  forty 
days  ;  for  so  they  fulfil  the  days  of  the  embalmed :  and  Miz- 
raim  mourned  for  him  seventy  days. 

4.  And  the  days  of  mourning  for  him  were  past,  and  Joseph 
spake  unto  the  house  of  Pharoh,  saying.  If  now  I  have  found 
grace  in  your  eyes,  speak  now  in  the  ears  of  Pharoh,  saying, 
5.  My  father  made  me  swear,  saying,  Lo,  I  die  ;  in  my  grave 
which  I  liave  digged  for  me  in  the  land  of  Kenaan,  there  shalt 
thou  bury  me.  And  now  let  me  go  up  now,  and  bury  my 
father,  and  return.  6.  And  Pharoh  said.  Go  up,  and  bury 
thy  father,  as  he  made  thee  swear. 

7.  And  Joseph  went  up  to  bury  his  father ;  and  with  him 
went  up  all  the  servants  of  Pharoh,  the  elders  of  his  house, 
and  all  the  elders  of  the  land  of  Mizraim.  8.  And  all  the 
house  of  Joseph,  and  his  brethren,  and  his  father's  house: 
only  their  little  ones  and  their  flocks  and  their  herds  left  they 
in  the  land  of  Goshen.  9.  And  with  him  went  up  both 
chariots  and  horsemen  ;  and  the  camp  was  very  great.  10. 
And  tlicy  went  to  the  thresliing-floor  of  Atad,  which  is  beyond 


516  THE  BURIAL  OF  JACOB. 

Jordan,  and  they  held  there  a  very  great  and  sore  lamentation: , 
and  he  made  for  his  father  a  mourning  of  seven  days.  11. 
And  the  Kenaanite  dwelling  in  the  land  saw  the  mourning  in 
the  threshing-floor  of  Atad,  and  they  said,  A  sore  mourning  is 
this  to  Egypt :  wherefore  the  name  of  it  was  called  Abel-Miz- 
raim,  which  is  beyond  Jordan.  12.  And  his  sons  did  unto 
him  according  as  he  commanded  them.  13.  And  his  sons 
carried  him  into  the  land  of  Kenaan,  and  buried  him  in  the 
cave  of  the  field  of  Makpelah ;  which  Abraham  bought,  with 
the  field  for  a  possession  of  a  burying-place,  from  Ephron  the 
Hittite,  before  Mamre.  14.  And  Joseph  returned  to  Mizraim, 
he  and  his  brethren,  and  all  that  went  up  with  him  to  bury 
his  father,  after  he  had  buried  his  father. 

15.  And  Joseph's  brethren  saw  that  their  father  was  dead, 
and  they  said.  Mayhap  Joseph  will  hate  us,  and  surely  requite 
us  all  the  evil  which  we  did  unto  him.  16.  And  they  sent 
unto  Joseph,  saying,  Thy  father  commanded  before  his  death, 
saying,  17.  So  shall  ye  say  unto  Joseph,  Ah,  now  !  forgive 
now  the  tresspass  of  thy  brethren  and  their  sin  ;  for  they  have 
done  thee  evil :  and  now  forgive  now  the  trespass  of  the  ser- 
vants of  the  God  of  thy  father.  And  Joseph  wept  when  they 
spake  unto  him.  18.  And  his  brethren  also  went  and  fell 
down  before  him  :  and  they  said.  Behold,  we  are  thy  servants. 
19.  And  Joseph  said  unto  them.  Fear  not,  for  am  I  in  God's 
stead  ?  20.  And  you,  ye  meant  evil  against  me  :  God  meant 
it  for  good,  to  do  as  it  is  this  day,  to  save  much  people  alive. 
21.  And  now  fear  not :  I  will  sustahi  you  and  your  little  ones. 
And  he  comforted  them,  and  spake  to  their  heart. 

22.  And  Joseph  dwelt  in  Mizraim,  lie  and  his  father's  house  ; 
and  Joseph  lived  a  hundred  and  ten  years.  23.  And  Josepli 
saw  of  Ephraim  the  children  of  the  third  generation  :  the  chil- 
dren also  of  Makir  the  son  of  Mcnasseh  were  borne  upon  Jo- 
seph's knees.  24.  And  Joseph  said  unto  his  brethren,  I  die  : 
and  God  will  surely  visit  you,  and  bring  you  up  from  this 
land  which  he  sware  to  Abraham,  to  Isaac,  and  to  Jacob.     25. 


GEN.  L.  '  517 

And  Joseph  took  an  oath  of  the  sons  of  Israel,  saying,  God 
will  surely  visit  you,  and  ye  shall  carry  up  my  bones  hence. 
26.  And  Joseph  died,  the  son  of  a  hundred  and  ten  years ; 
and  they  embalmed  him,  and  he  was  put  in  a  coffin  in  Mizraim. 

This  chapter  records  the  burial  of  Jacob  and  the  death  of  Joseph, 
and  so  completes  the  history  of  the  chosen  family,  and  the  third  bible 
for  the  instruction  of  man. 

1-3.  After  the  natural  outburst  of  sorrow  for  his  deceased  parent, 
Joseph  gave  orders  to  embalm  the  body,  according  to  the  custom  of 
Egypt.  His  servants,  the  physicians.  As  the  grand  vizier  of  Egypt, 
he  has  physicians  in  his  retinue.  The  classes  and  functions  of  the 
physicians  in  Egypt  may  be  learned  from  Herodotus  (ii.  84-86). 
There  were  special  physicians  for  each  disease ;  and  the  embalmers 
formed  a  class  by  themselves.  Forty  days  were  employed  in  the 
process  of  embalming ;  seventy  days,  including  the  forty,  were  devoted 
to  mourning  for  the  dead.  Herodotus  mentions  this  number  as  the 
period  of  embalming.  Diodorus  (i.  91)  assigns  upwards  of  thirty  days 
to  the  process.  It  is  probable  that  the  actual  process  was  continued 
for  forty  days,  and  that  the  body  lay  in  natron  for  the  remaining 
thirty  days  of  mourning.  See  Hengstenberg's  B.  B.  Mos.  u.  Aeg.,  and 
Eawlinson's  Herodotus. 

4-6.  Joseph,  by  means  of  Pharoh's  courtiers,  not  in  person,  because 
he  was  a  mourner,  applies  for  leave  to  bury  his  father  in  the  land  of 
Kenaan,  according  to  his  oath.     This  leave  is  freely  and  fully  allowed. 

7-14.  The  funeral  procession  is  now  described.  All  the  servants  of 
Pharoh.  The  highest  honor  is  conferred  on  Jacob  for  Joseph's  sake. 
The  elders  of  Pharoh,  and  all  the  elders  of  the  land  of  Mizraim.  The 
court  and  state  officials  are  here  separately  specified.  All  the  house. 
Not  only  the  heads,  but  all  the  sons  and  servants  that  are  able  to  go. 
Chariots  and  horsemen  accompany  them  as  a  guard  on  the  way.  The 
threshing-floor  of  Atad,  or  of  the  huck-thorn.  This  is  said  to  be  be- 
yond Jordan.  Deterred,  probably,  by  some  difficulty  in  the  direct 
route,  they  seem  to  have  gone  round  by  the  east  side  of  the  Salt  Sea. 
A  mourning  of  seven  days.  This  is  a  last  sad  farewell  to  the  departed 
patriarch.  Ahel-Mizraim.  This  name,  like  many  in  the  East,  has  a 
double  meaning.  The  word  Abel  no  doubt  at  first  meant  mourning, 
though  the  name  w^ould  be  used  by  many,  ignorant  of  its  origin,  in  the 
sense  of  a  meadow.     His  sons  carried  him.     The  main  body  of  the 


518  THE  BURIAL  OF  JACOB. 

procession  seems  to  have  halted  beyond  the  Jordan,  and  awaited  the 
return  of  the  immediate  relatives,  who  conveyed  the  body  to  its  last 
resting-place.     The  whole  company  then  returned  together  to  Egypt. 

15-21.  His  brethren  supplicate  Joseph  for  forgiveness.  They  sent 
unto  Joseph,  commissioned  one  of  their  number  to  speak  to  him.  And 
now  that  our  common  father  has  given  us  this  command.  And  Joseph 
li^ept  at  the  distress  and  doubt  of  his  brothers.  He  no  doubt  summons 
them  before  him,  when  they  fall  down  before  him  entreating  his  for- 
giveness. Joseph  removes  their  fears.  Am  I  in  God's  stead  ?  that  I 
should  take  the  law  into  my  own  hands,  and  take  revenge.  God  has 
already  judged  them,  and  moreover  turned  'their  sinful  deed  into  a 
blessing.     He  assures  them  of  his  brotherly  kindness  towards  them. 

22-2G.  The  biography  of  Joseph  is  now  completed.  The  children  of 
the  third  generation, —  the  grandsons  of  grandsons  in  the  line  of  Eph- 
raim.  We  have  here  an  explicit  proof  that  an  interval  of  about  twenty 
years  between  the  births  of  the  father  and  that  of  his  first-born  was 
not  unusual  during  the  lifetime  of  Joseph.  And  Joseph  took  an  oath. 
He  thus  expressed  his  unwavering  confidence  in  the  return  of  the  sons 
of  Israel  to  the  land  of  promise.  God  will  surely  visit.  He  was  em- 
balmed and  put  in  a  coffin,  and  so  kept  by  his  descendants,  as  was  not 
unusual  in  Egypt.  And  on  the  return  of  the  sons  of  Israel  from  Egypt 
they  kept  their  oath  to  Joseph  (Ex.  xiii.  19),  and  buried  his  bones  in 
Shckem  (Jos.  xxiv.  32). 

The  sacred  writer  here  takes  leave  of  the  chosen  family,  and  closes 
the  bible  of  the  sons  of  Israel.  It  is  truly  a  wonderful  book.  It  lifts 
the  veil  of  mystery  that  hangs  over  the  present  condition  of  the  human 
race.  It  records  the  origin  and  fall  of  man,  and  thus  explains  the  co- 
existence of  moral  evil  and  a  moral  sense,  and  the  hereditary  memory 
of  God  and  judgment  in  the  soul  of  man.  It  records  the  cause  and 
mode  of  the  confusion  of  tongues,  and  thus  explains  the  concomitance 
of  the  unity  of  the  race  and  the  specific  diversity  of  mode  or  form  in 
human  speech.  It  records  the  call  of  Abraham,  and  thus  accounts  for 
the  preservation  of  the  knowledge  of  God  and  his  mercy  in  one  section 
of  the  human  race,  and  the  corruption  or  loss  of  it  in  all  the  rest.  We 
need  scarcely  remark  that  the  six  days'  creation  accounts  for  the  present 
state  of  nature.  It  thus  solves  the  fundamental  questions  of  physics, 
ethics,  philology,  and  theology  for  the  race  of  Adam.  It  notes  the 
primitive  relation  of  man  to  God,  and  marks  the  three  great  stages  of 
human  development  that  came  in  with  Adam,  Noah,  and  Abraham. 
It  points  out  the  three  forms  of  sin  that  usher  in  these  stages,  —  the  fall 


GEN.  L.  519—535 

of  Adam,  the  intermarriage  of  the  sons  of  God  witli  tlie  daughters  of 
men,  and  the  building  of  the  tower  of  Babel.  It  gradually  unfolds  the 
purpose  and  method  of  grace  to  the  returning  penitent  through  a  De- 
liverer who  is  successively  announced  as  the  seed  of  the  woman,  of 
Shem,  of  Abraham,  Isaac,  Jacob,  and  Judah.  This  is  the  second  Adam, 
who,  when  the  covenant  of  works  was  about  to  fall  to  the  ground 
through  the  failure  of  the  first  Adam,  undertook  to  uphold  it  by  ful- 
filling all  its  conditions  on  behalf  of  those  who  are  the  objects  of  the 
divine  grace.  Hence  the  Lord  establishes  his  covenant  successively 
with  Adam,  Noah,  and  Abraham ;  with  Adam  after  the  fall  tacitly, 
with  Noah  expressly,  and  with  both  generally  as  the  representatives, 
of  the  race  descending  from  them  ;  with  Abraham  specially  and  instru- 
mentally  as  the  channel  through  which  the  blessings  of  salvation  might 
be  at  length  extended  to  all  the  families  of  the  earth.  So  much  of 
this  plan  of  mercy  is  revealed  from  time  to  time  to  the  human  race  as 
comports  with  the  progress  they  have  made  in  the  education  of  the 
intellectual,  moral,  and  active  faculties.  This  only  authentic  epitome 
of  primeval  history  is  worthy  of  the  constant  study  of  intelligent  and 
responsible  man. 


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